


Lives Changed Forever

by LinkCat



Series: Best Friends Forever [5]
Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls World Tour (2020)
Genre: Discrimination, Distrust, Earthquakes, Eruption, F/F, F/M, Fear of Change, M/M, Multi, Volcanoes, World Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 26
Words: 34,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23620924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinkCat/pseuds/LinkCat
Summary: Volcanic activity has the trolls moving from the home that they have known for over ten years. Will they survive the trip in search of a new home?
Relationships: Barb/Riff, Biggie/Harper, Branch/DJ Suki, Creek/Delta Dawn, Poppy/Smidge (Trolls)
Series: Best Friends Forever [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587811
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. An Explosive Coronation

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 5 of “Best Friends Forever.” Sorry for any mistakes I make. I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Pumpkin and Queen Rainbow must make quick decisions to save the trolls they love and care for.

It had been just under two and a half years since Mercy moved into the bunker, to coparent with Creek and help him with his daughters. In that time, Princess River gave birth to her first baby with Prince Dill. They had a two-year-old son named Prince Spice. Princess Rainbow was heavily pregnant and was getting ready for her coronation. It was Prince Pumpkin’s twenty-first birthday and it was almost spring, so it was cold outside. She dressed warmly, and made sure to have a blanket ready, just in case her baby decided to arrive during the ceremony. It was a long ceremony, but she wanted it to get it done, despite pleas for her to wait until after her baby arrived. Once she was ready, she picked up Prince Pumpkin Junior and looked for Prince Pumpkin and their quadruplets. She found him wrestling with Princess Daisy to get her dressed. The young dwarf didn’t like wearing clothes. None of them did, but Princess Daisy was the most difficult of the four girls.

“No!” Princess Daisy yelled angrily as she struggled with her father. “No! Yucky!” She growled when he got a dress on her. She pulled it off and threw it at him, nailing him in the face.

“You’re so stubborn. I wonder where she got it from.” Prince Pumpkin took the dress and put it on her again. He picked her up and put her in his hair, before she could disrobe again. He wrapped his hair around her so she wouldn’t take it off.

Prince Pumpkin Junior glared at his sister and crossed his arms. “Bad sissy!”

“Now, now, PJ. No need to call her out.” Princess Rainbow helped gather the other three girls and headed for the door. “Let’s get going. Our parents are going to start wondering if I went into labor. You know Dill would panic.”

“Dill always panics when anyone goes into labor.” Prince Pumpkin smiled softly. He followed her to the door and opened it for her. He began heading to the gathering. They were going to go to Prince Dill and Princess River first, to give their children to them to watch during the coronation. He knew that the girls would likely make the process longer then normal, and Rainbow was in no condition to be on her feet for hours.

Prince Dill saw them coming and took the girls when they arrived. He laughed when Princess Daisy threw her dress away. “That’s my niece.” He tucked her into his hair, so she could stay warm.

“Naughty little one.” Princess River giggled and took Princess Sunflower. She held her and smiled. She was more then happy to babysit for them.

“Thank you, big brother.” Princess Rainbow gave Prince Dill a kiss on the cheek, and then headed towards her parents. She stopped in front of King Basil and gave him a warm hug. “I love you daddy. I’m ready to take my first big steps as the new leader.”

King Basil embraced his daughter and held her. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? You can wait, one or twelve more years.” He was very protective of Princess Rainbow and didn’t like that Prince Dill had handed the crown to her. He silently wished that Prince Oleander had taken over as King instead. He wanted his oldest daughter safe. Her infancy and early childhood scared him. She had almost died so many times.

“We got this dad.” Prince Pumpkin smiled up at his father in law. He gave him a hug. “I’m just hoping our baby waits for the ceremony to be over.”

“Let’s get this going, before he or she does arrive.” Queen Poppy stepped over and smiled when Queen Smidge and King Stream joined her side. She pulled out a bow and a quiver of arrows. “Princess Rainbow, do you take this quiver and bow, and promise to protect the colony from harm? Do you promise to only do good, and to see that all of our in the colony have the care they want and need?”

Princess Rainbow smiled at her mother and took the quiver and bow. She put them over her shoulder and gave her a hug. “I’ll do my best mom.” She let her mom go and looked down at her husband.

“Prince Pumpkin…” King Basil turned to him and pulled a sword that was tucked in a sheath off his back. “Do you take this sword, and promise to protect our colony from harm? Do you promise to only do good, and to see that all of our colony have the care they want and need?”

Prince Pumpkin took the sword and nodded. “Yes sir, I will protect everyone to the best of my ability.” He put it over his back and tied it to himself.

The ceremony continued for another hour, until an earthquake interrupted the ceremony. Everyone quickly took cover to protect themselves from injury. When it was over, they all came out and looked among themselves. It seemed everyone was alright, but some of the flower pods had fallen to the ground.

“Is everyone OK?!” Princess Rainbow looked around. She was worried about her colony.

“I think we’re all OK.” King Basil checked on those around him. He was shaken, but they all seemed OK.

“We’re going to end the ceremony early. I declare Prince Pumpkin and Princess Rainbow as our king and queen from this day, on, until Prince Pumpkin Junior is ready to take the throne.” Former Queen Poppy looked around. “Let’s work together to get the colony cleaned up.” She walked towards one of the fallen flower pods. It was going to take a while to clean up after the earthquake.

Everyone worked together to clean up, but it didn’t last long, before their pet dragons began to become restless. Shortly after they started to pace, another large earthquake shook the ground under them. A crack in the earth split the ground near the colony. Several trolls split to escape the expanding rift on the ground. As the rift continued to crack open, a sudden explosion was heard by them all, that could hear. A large cloud of hot ash spewed into the air.

Queen Rainbow had mounted her pet dragon, who was Bubbles’ son. She had named him Ghost. She watched as a local volcano began to erupt. Her eyes went wide as she looked down at her colony. They had to get out of there, and fast if they were to survive. “Everyone get on your dragons! We have to go now!” She flew down and gathered her children. She made sure King Pumpkin was with her, and then had Ghost run around. She began giving orders. “We have to go now! No time to pack! Get your families and let’s go!”

“We have to get food, water, and supplies Rainbow!” Former King Basil was scrambling around to grab what he could. He didn’t know they were all in grave danger, or he would have mounted Copper right away.

“We’ve got to go Basil!” Branch helped his family members onto their dragons. He could see that the ash cloud was coming for them. They had to get out of there.

Everyone continued to scramble. The ash was coming closer than Queen Rainbow liked, so she looked at her colony and frowned. “We’ve all going to fly now, or we are going to die!” She directed Ghost towards the ocean and had him fly that way. “Follow me!” She began leading them towards the ocean, in hopes that that would be their best bet.

“Rainbow! No! We have to get more supplies!” King Basil called for her, before he was suddenly picked up by the right leg by Copper. He hollered in surprise as he was flung into the air by his pet. He grunted when he landed on top of Copper’s back. “Copper! We have to go back!” He didn’t understand how much danger they were in.

Everyone flew their dragons as fast as they could after Queen Rainbow and her family. The dragons were able to take them away from the volcano fast enough to escape the hot ash, but the cooler ash was still catching up to them. They were not going to be able to escape it.

“It’s getting closer!” Princess Sunshine pointed towards the cloud and screamed in horror. It was coming closer and closer to them. She was a very scared teenager.

“We’ve got to find shelter. We’re not going to be safe in the ash filled air!” King Pumpkin looked around for a place for them to hide. He spotted a cave and had Ghost go that way. He helped land Rainbow’s dragon and helped his family into the cave. He waited at the entrance to assure that the rest of the colony got into the cave. Once they were all in, he led them towards the back. His eyes were wide and full of worry. He hadn’t even been king for one day, and they were already facing a lot of big decisions. He wasn’t even sure if they had time to grab food or clean water. He was very worried about his family. Especially Rainbow and their unborn pod.

Queen Rainbow walked deep within the cave, before settling by a pool of spring water. They had clean water for now, which was a good thing. She sat down and rested her hand on her swollen belly. She was silently glad that she hadn’t gone into labor, but she was still very worried. Not just for her baby, but for everyone she loved. She hoped that they could get through this without losing anyone. So far, they had managed to get through this without losing anyone.

King Basil had a tight hold of Copper and was using him as a seeing eye dragon. He walked Copper over to Queen Rainbow and settled down beside her. “I’m sorry for not cooperating. I didn’t know it was that bad.” He could now smell the ash from the volcano. He was glad that they had flown away from their home, even though he didn’t want to leave.

“I’m scared dad.” Queen Rainbow snuggled up to her father and frowned. “We should rest here until the ash settles, and then we need to find a new home. Our old home is no longer safe. Who knows if that volcano will explode again or not.” She rubbed her belly and sighed. She wished she didn’t have a baby on the way. It was going to be a long and scary time for them. She hoped her unborn pod would survive it.


	2. A Newborn In Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queen Rainbow’s newborn must face several challenges if it is to survive.

Less then an hour after settling into a cave, Rainbow felt the first strong contraction of labor. She was hoping her baby would wait for the ash to settle, but the little one had other plans. She got up and walked over to where Mama Goldie and Branch had settled down and were talking. She whispered to her uncle Branch that she was pretty sure she was going into labor. Before she even finished her sentence, a gush of fluids dropped to her feet. It was pitch dark in the cave. None of them could see anything. “That wasn’t pee…” She whispered. She began to shake in fear. It was cold, they had no food that she was aware of, and they were unable to make a fire. They had no medical supplies either. She was so worried about her baby. She gave the blanket she brought with her to Branch. “I only brought one. Please keep it dry.” She closed her eyes and breathed through the next contraction.

Branch tucked the blanket into his hair and rubbed Rainbow’s back. He had a feeling the stress from the afternoon would catch up with her. He was worried about the baby. “Rainbow is having her baby. I need everyone close together for warmth. The baby will need the area around us warm when it arrives.”

Pumpkin made his way over and took his wife’s hand when he found her. He held her hand and frowned. He was so worried about her. “You can do this Rainbow. I know you can.”

Melody led Symphony over and settled her next to Rainbow. She had been helping Symphony, since her twin was currently blind from the darkness of the cave, on top of being deaf. She couldn’t sign to her that the baby was coming but did put Symphony’s hand on Rainbow’s belly. She waited for a contraction. She wanted Symphony to understand.

Symphony gasped when she felt the contraction. She got ready to help, despite being unable to see or hear what was going on. She pulled snacks out of her hair and gave them to Rainbow. She had saved them for Jade, just in case she was hungry during the coronation, but Rainbow was going to need them for energy after the baby arrived.

Everyone scrambled to prepare for the arrival of the newborn colony member. They wanted to make sure it went as smoothly as possible for their new queen. It was not ideal conditions for a birth at all, but they were going to have to cope with what they had. There was nothing they could do to stop labor. They all prayed silently, surrounding the young mother as she endured labor.

After a few hours of mostly silence and the occasional groan or whimper of pain, Rainbow removed her leggings and underpants. She snuggled into Pumpkin and breathed hard. “I think I’m getting close.” Tears ran down her cheeks. It was so dark, and she was very scared. She wanted her baby to be safe.

Pumpkin could feel that her face was wet with tears. He messaged her scalp gently and dried her face of tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “I’m right here mama. You’re doing a great job.” He was very worried about her and the baby.

“I’m going to check to see how close you are from the birth, Rainbow.” Branch got closer and checked Rainbow gently. He frowned, realizing he didn’t feel a head. He felt a tiny foot. A sense of panic filled him. This was the worst circumstance to have a breech birth, and it was too late to try to reposition the baby. He swallowed hard and strained to see. He wanted to make sure both legs were coming out. “I can’t see a thing.”

“How tragic.” Basil shot a glare towards his older brother. He had spent all his life in complete darkness. He didn’t understand Branch’s frustration.

“That’s not helpful dad!” Rainbow snapped angrily. She knew Branch wanted to see what he was doing. She whimpered and let out a loud yelp during the next contraction. She could feel Branch poking around down there. “Is something wrong?! Ghost! Please put some light in here my good boy. We need your help.”

Ghost sauntered over and cleared his throat. The young white dragon opened his mouth. There was a small fire glowing in his throat. It provided enough light for Branch to see what he was doing.

“Thank you, Ghost.” Branch gently fished the second leg out and supported the baby’s body. “She’s breech Rainbow. I need you to push hard!”

Dill scrambled to his feet and gasped when he saw that his niece was coming out wrong. He screeched and began to cry. He didn’t want his sister or niece to die. 

It had taken everything in River to keep her mate semi-calm during Rainbow’s labor, but she couldn’t calm him any longer. She got up and held him as he sobbed into her chest. “Uncle Branch has this. Deep breaths my love.”

Biggie also panicked near the back. He had a tight hold of Harper and Mr. Dinkles as he whispered that he didn’t want Rainbow to die. They needed her.

Rainbow trembled in fear and pulled Pumpkin closer to her chest. She sobbed as she pushed hard. She was terrified for their youngest.

Pumpkin’s eyes were wide and full of worry. He held his wife as she pushed for their baby. He silently plead to the spirits that they would spare Rainbow and the baby’s life. It was bad enough that they lost their homes. He couldn’t lose his wife and child too.

Branch ignored the panic as he helped ease the newborn out. He glanced at Mama Goldie as she began wiping the newborn dry, so she wouldn’t get cold. He helped get her arms out and waited for the next contraction. “One more good push Rainbow. She’s coming. You’re doing fantastic!”

Rainbow bared down and pushed hard. She screamed in agony as her daughter came out. She took her from her uncle and helped Mama Goldie clean her. She was very worried about her. “Cry sweetheart!”

The newborn was turquoise with blue green and light orange hair. She was normal sized like her mama. She didn’t cry right away, which scared everyone. After a good smack on the bottom from Mama Goldie, she began letting out loud, angry cries.

The tension in the cave was intense, as they waited for those cries. When they heard them, everyone slowly began to relax again. It appeared the most dangerous part of the birth was over.

Branch checked for tears. He didn’t find any, which was a huge relief. He wrapped the blanket around the newborn and let Rainbow bond with her daughter. “Thank goodness. It’s hard to see her colors right now, but she appears to be alright.”

Rainbow helped her daughter set up to nurse and cradled her. “You scared us my sweet little girl.” She sniffled and began to cry hard. All the emotions she had been trying to hide since the first earthquake had come to a head. She startled when she was suddenly pressed into by several worried family members. “I’m so scared!” She leaned back into Basil and hiccupped. She had a tight hold of her newborn. “I don’t even know what to name her…”

“It’s OK my sweet girl. I’ve got you.” Basil held her closely and began to sing. He knew they were all scared, but they were going to get through this. He had no doubt that they would get through this rough patch, just like they had done before. “You don’t have to name her right now. There is no rush. Rest and name her when you’re ready.”

Pumpkin rested his hand on Rainbow’s hand and snuggled with her. He was proud of his mate, and excited that he shared his birthday with their new baby. “I’m here my love. We’ll get through this as a family. I love you very much, and I’m proud of you.” He gave her a kiss and dried her face of tears. He was glad she was OK, and that the baby was OK. Now they just needed to face this new journey together. He hoped that the ash would settle soon. The children were becoming restless and complained that they were hungry. They needed to leave the cave so they could search for food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Basil sang. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the creators!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFXzYVHxvY


	3. It Is In Her Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainbow’s father gives her name ideas for her newborn.

A few hours later and after a nap, Rainbow woke up and fed her newborn. She felt a lot calmer and physically felt a lot better. She took one of the snacks out of her hair and began to eat. She frowned when Pumpkin Junior came over and took it from her. She let out a soft sigh and let him have it. She knew he was hungry, and she didn’t want him to suffer. She hoped they would find food soon. Her newborn was going to need her to eat, for her to survive. “Has the ash settled?”

“It’s starting to.” Branch had just come back from a trip to the entrance. “I was able to see some outside. We should be able to leave in the morning, so long as the wind doesn’t kick up the ash.”

“We need to find food.” Rainbow set her daughter over her shoulder and burped her. Once she was burped, she moved over to the spring and took a drink. She then carried her baby over to Oleander and took his handkerchief from around his neck. “This will have to do for another diaper.” Laurel had given her his handkerchief for the baby earlier, and it did seem to help. She sat her baby down and cleaned her up, before putting the makeshift diaper onto her. “There we go.” She picked her up and held her.

“She needs a name.” Oleander listened to her move around. “Dad has suggested several pretty names.”

“I’m not naming her after this volcanic event.” Rainbow said dryly. Basil has suggested lots of names, ranging from Ashley, to Lava. She didn’t want to name her baby after a life altering event. She thought for a moment and then smiled. “She was born by a spring. Perhaps I can call her Lynn. It does mean lake.”

“Ashlynn! It’s perfect and so pretty!” Basil walked over to them and gave Rainbow a hug. “My little girl is so smart.”

Oleander chuckled and put his hand over his mouth. “Dad, you’re going to get your butt whooped. She’s in a mood.”

“Dad, I’m not going to name her Ashlynn. I just want to name her Lynn.” Rainbow glared at her father. She wasn’t amused at all but was too sore to wrestle with him at the moment. He was being difficult.

“I like Ashlynn.” Pumpkin whispered. Of all the names that Basil had suggested, Ashlynn was the prettiest to him.

“See? Pumpkin likes it too. It’s perfect for you’re new little bean.” Basil took his granddaughter and cradled her. “You want your name to be Ashlynn, don’t you sweetheart?”

Ashlynn cracked her eyes open and glanced around. It was still too dark to see. She closed her eyes and yawned tiredly. She full and content, for now.

“That’s not helpful Pumpkin.” Rainbow sighed and glared in her father’s general direction. She grumbled that Ashlynn would be her name, but she was still going to call her Lynn for short.

“I’ll help you beat him up later, Rainbow. When you feel better and recover from having your baby.” Oleander mused. He could feel the tension radiating off of Rainbow.

While everyone was busy, debating the baby’s name, Crash had snuck his girlfriend, Paprika, deeper into the cave. He was completely used to getting around while blind, because his father had taught him tricks. He was out of ear shot and was making out with Paprika. The fifteen-year-old teenager took advantage of the fact that the other adults were distracted and couldn’t see. He held Paprika closely and murmured that he loved her very much.

Paprika murmured that she loved him too. She was enjoying all the kisses.

Crash ran his hands along her sides and put his hand up her dress. He rubbed her breast gently and shivered when his member began to swell in his pants. Hormones urged him to mate with her.

Paprika gasped when he began rubbing her breast. She shivered and whispered that it tickled. She purred as fluids collected around her vulva. She was feeling urges as well.

Crash bit his bottom lip and began removing his pants and sweater. He pulled her panties off and helped her out of her dress. He crawled over and her and kissed her hungrily. He ran his hand along her vulva, before positioning himself over her and pushing his length into her. He moaned and began rocking his hips.

Paprika let him and moaned as he began to mate with her. She held him closely and whispered that he felt very good.

The two naughty teenagers mated for a couple of hours, until Crash heard Biggie calling Paprika. He groaned and pulled out of her. “Aww shucks…” He got dressed and helped Paprika into her panties and dress. “We better go to your dad.” He led her towards the sound of Biggie’s voice. He sounded very worried.

“Paprika?! Are you alright? Where did you go?” Biggie shuffled his way deeper into the cave. He had taken a nap and was worried when he woke up to find that Paprika wasn’t nearby. He was very protective of her and didn’t want anything to happen to her.

“I’m OK dad. I was with Crash.” Paprika let Crash go, and then went to give her father a hug.

Crash wasn’t far behind her. He stayed quiet. He knew mating wasn’t allowed. He was hoping Biggie wouldn’t notice that they had been naughty.

“What were you doing back here? Do I smell mating on you two?!” The color left Biggie’s face, although it couldn’t be seen. Deep concern suddenly filled him. Both teenagers were underage, unmarried, and did it voluntarily. They were in big trouble if they had done the deed.

Paprika didn’t answer that. She knew what they did, and knew it was forbidden, but she had been caught up in the moment and had allowed it. She let her father go and rubbed her left arm with her right hand.

Crash bolted for the front of the cave as fast as he could without injuring himself. He found Splash and laid down next to him. He pretended that he was sleeping with him. He knew he was busted, but was going to try to wrangle his way out of it.

Biggie fussed his brows when Crash bolted. He grabbed Paprika by the ear and led her towards the rest of the colony. “You’re ground for the foreseeable future young lady. You know better.” He had plans of talking to Rainbow and Basil. Crash was Basil’s son and had taken his love affair with his young daughter way too far. Once he was back, he led Paprika over to Rainbow and let her go. “Crash and Paprika just mated.”

Paprika rubbed her ear and swallowed hard when her father told on her. She shrank away from Rainbow and closed her eyes. She was pretty sure she was in deep trouble.

“Are you serious?! Paprika!” Rainbow flushed and gave the young teenager a whack in the butt. “That’s for being defiant! You’re going to help with cooking and other chores when we leave this cave! I’m going to assure you and Crash are too busy to do this again!” She turned towards where she sensed Crash and Splash. “Dad! Come here!” She walked towards her defiant brother and grabbed him when she got to him. “Crash! You were taught better than this! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

“What are you talking about?!” Crash acted innocent. He glanced towards Splash. “It was Splash who did it!”

“You’re lying son!” Basil walked over and crossed his arms. He had overheard it all. “You’re going to be too busy to do it again. You’re grounded and are to do more chores. I’m very disappointed in you.” He grabbed him by the ear and led him towards Stream, Poppy, and Smidge. “Your father and mothers can add to your punishment! This is not OK!”

Rainbow kicked her brother in the butt. She nailed him in the scar, from being conjoined to Splash, knowing that area was extra sensitive. She groaned from being sore and walked back over to Pumpkin. “I can’t believe they did that.”

“I can. They’ve been waiting for the right moment for months.” Pumpkin had Ashlynn in his arms and was bonding with her. “I hope they learn their lesson. They can’t be mating like that. It’ll cause a lot of problems. We’ve got to find a new home.” The last thing they needed right now was for teenagers to cause problems. He hoped that the two teenagers kept their hands off each other until they at least found a new home and was going to assure they didn’t mate again until then. They couldn’t afford the distractions right now. They needed to focus on food and finding a new home. He hoped his half brother understood the mistake he may have just made. If Paprika became pregnant, it could be detrimental for so many reasons. He hoped Crash and Paprika didn’t come to regret their decision.


	4. Hungry Trolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first meal after the volcanic explosion is a welcome distraction for some.

As morning rose, and the sun rose as well. Branch made his way to the front of the cave again. He had a scarf wrapped around his face, so he wouldn’t breathe in the ash. He looked around and saw that the ash had mostly settled, but he could see that there was still some lingering in the air. He knew that breathing it in could be detrimental to the health of everyone. They needed to get away from the ash cloud. He decided he would take his dragon out later, to see if he could find a clear area. Until then, their best bet was to stay in the cave. He found some food while searching around and collected it. It was mostly dried chili, fermented tomato, and dried beans. He found a large bowl-shaped rock and put the food, walnut shells and some wood inside of it. He began dragging the contents back. He planned to make chili with what he found. There was some salt deposits in the cave, which would make great flavoring agents for the chili. Once he was back inside, he settled the bowl deep within the cave and set up a fire pit. He then called his dragon over and had her light the fire.

Ether was Shadow’s daughter and was the young dragon that Branch had tried to give to Cherry years earlier, but he had ended up raising her instead. She lit the fire for him, and then sat next to him and grunted. She was hungry, but the chili didn’t have any meat and she wanted meat. She clicked her tongue, and then left to go hunt.

Branch watched her go but didn’t worry about her. Dragons were fire breathing creatures, and Ether was going to be fine outside in the ash. He settled the bowl over the fire and went to get water with the walnut shells. She handed Crash a walnut shell and nudged him to the spring. “Help me collect water.” He walked over to Paprika and gave her a stick. He nudged her towards the chili. “Stir our breakfast.”

Crash got up and went to the spring to get water. He began making trips back and forth to help fill the large bowl.

Paprika quietly walked over to the chili and began stirring it. She avoided eye contact with Crash. Her parents had had a long talk with her during the early morning hours. She was now scared, because she was very young, had a small frame, and could get pregnant, because she was receptive. Her parents had told her that if she did get pregnant, she could die in childbirth, unless they were able to find a home in time to settle and prepare for the arrival of a baby.

Sky got up and went to help Branch with the chili pods and dried beans. He watched the teenagers, to assure they behaved. So far, they appeared to be cooperating.

Branch made sure to add some salt to the mixture and gave Paprika some pointers on cooking with limited ingredients. When Ether returned with some rabbit meat, he added some it to the soup, and let the dragons eat the rest. It took some time for the soup to heat up and cook long enough to soften the beans. Once it was ready, it was closer to lunch time. Branch set up bowls of chili in the half shells from the walnuts. There were not enough bowls for everyone, so he made sure that Rainbow got a bowl first, and then all families who had very young children also got a bowl to eat. He knew it was going to be a slow process to get everyone fed, but he had been able to make enough to feed everyone. They were all surrounding the bowl, eager to get their fill. It smelled very good.

Crash was very tired and hungry by the time the food was ready. When Barley got a bowl, he walked over and acted like he was going to feed his baby brother, but while Barley was chewing on a bite, he took a few bites for himself.

“I told you that you and Paprika eat last as part of your punishment!” Stream took the bowl from his son and settled Barley on his lap. He began feeding his youngest. He glared at his teenage son. He was not amused.

Crash stomped his foot and stormed away from his father. He was starving. He moved over to the bowl and tried to take a bean out of the soup but burned his hand in the process. He had tears in his eyes as he settled down on the ground and held his hand. It was red and began to blister right away.

“Serves you right, for being impatient and greedy!” Splash grumbled at his twin. He was hungry too, but was waiting his turn, just like everyone else. He was angry with Crash, because he heard he had blamed him for mating with Paprika. He knew better and was livid that his brother would put blame on him, when he had been sleeping the whole time.

“Shut up, Splash!” Crash glared at his twin. “I don’t need unsolicited advice from my parasitic twin!”

Splash sneered and stood to his feet. He was in a bad mood, and that insult hit his last nerve. He tackled into his brother and began to throw punches. “Don’t call me a parasite!”

Crash ignored the pain in his hand and fought back angrily.

Basil stormed over and split them apart physically. “Enough! You two were born together! Get along, like the spirits wanted you to!”

“He called me a parasite!” Splash snapped angrily. He held his right eye. Crash had given him a black eye. “I wish we were not born conjoined! He’s mean to me and blames me for everything!”

“I do not!” Crash growled and went to try and whap his brother with his hair, but Basil stopped him. He growled and looked at his father. “I’m tired and hungry! Let me eat!”

“I said that’s enough!” Basil pinned Crash to the ground and held him there with his hair. “I bet you’re tired and hungry. You should have been sleeping, instead of getting busy at the back of the cave! You’ve done this to yourself! Now be civil, or your punishments will only continue to increase! Do I make myself clear?!”

Splash moved away and went to sit by Smidge. He turned so his back was to his twin. He had had enough of his identical twin.

“Fine!” Crash rested his head, so it was looking away from Splash. He murmured that he still despised his identical twin. The confinement of being stuck the first year of life, the pain from their separation, and the fact that they hadn’t seen each other the first year of life had forever affected their bond. They detested each other.

“He’s your brother. Treat him accordingly Crash. One day you’re going to realize that he’s just as important in your life as your other siblings. Believe me, I know.” Basil sighed and crossed his arms. He remembered fighting more than once with his other siblings and treating them meanly when he was a teenager too. He regretted being mean to them, after losing over half of them the day before he gave birth to Dill and Rainbow. He didn’t want Crash to have the same regret. Especially with their uncertain futures.

It took a few hours before the last two bowls were given to Crash and Paprika. The two teenagers ate hungrily. They still avoided eye contact, for now. They didn’t dare push bottoms at this time. If they were to be mates in the future, they needed to prove that they were willing to cooperate and listen to their parents first.

While everyone ate, Branch made his way out of the cave with Ether. Sky had followed him with his dragon, Midnight. The two of them left to go seek land that wasn’t covered in ash. They hoped to find land quickly, so they went the opposite direction of the wind blowing. They needed to get away from the ash, before it began to affect everyone’s lungs and eyes. They disappeared out of sight, in hopes of finding a clear area soon.


	5. Encouragement From Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy spends some time with Rainbow, to encourage her because of all the sudden changes.

While Branch was out looking for an area free of ash, former Queen Poppy made her way over to Queen Rainbow. She sat next to her and smiled warmly. “How are you holding up mama? Did you get enough to eat? There is still some left-over chili.” She wanted Rainbow to have first dibs on any extra food, since she was nursing.

“I got enough to eat mom.” Rainbow took Poppy’s hand and frowned. “I’m worried mom. What if I made the wrong decision? We could have got into the bunker. There would have been food, water, supplies, and shelter that would have lasted for months.” She was starting to regret forcing everyone to leave their homes. She had overheard a lot of complaints of being uncomfortable, cold, hungry, and tired from their colony members. It had been a long night for them all.

“I think you made a great decision. We had no way of knowing if the bunker was even safe after the earthquakes. Besides, if a hot mud slide, or lava reached the bunker, we would have all died in there. You’re doing a great job. You have been queen for one day and have already proven that you were the right troll for this responsibility. I’m so proud of you.” Poppy rubbed Rainbow’s hand gently. She knew her daughter was scared. She didn’t blame her for overthinking and worrying. Basil was good at that and had proven to be a great King too. “You’re so much like your father. You’re very protective at times, but you are fair. You have this. I know you won’t let your father and I down. Breathe, and make sure you get some rest when you can. Having a baby is already hard work as it is. Having a baby during hard times is even harder.”

Rainbow sighed heavily and gently took Ashlynn out of her hair when the little one began to fuss. She set her up to nurse. “I don’t think I can sleep right now.” She didn’t want to admit that she couldn’t get comfortable and was still worried about her baby and the colony.

Poppy smiled softly and watched her granddaughter nurse. “I can babysit for a little while, after she’s done eating. You need to get some rest.” She pushed gently.

“What if someone needs me?” Rainbow frowned and looked up at her mom. She didn’t want to let anyone down, and they needed her. She wanted to be a good queen.

“Pumpkin can take care of it.” Poppy smiled at her and pulled her closer. She snuggled up to Rainbow to help keep her and the baby warm. She began to sing to Rainbow and Ashlynn. “Rest now my child, you’re doing just fine. Momma is here and is holding you tight. Everything is going to be alright. Rest now my darling, rest and relax. This too shall pass, and we will be OK. Close your eyes and sleep my dear. Momma is proud of her darling. Rest now my child, you’re doing just fine…” She smiled when she noticed that Rainbow was drifting off into sleep. She waited for Ashlynn to finish nursing, and then gently took her from her mama. She set her over her shoulder and made sure she burped. She then walked over to Basil and sat next to him. “I got her to fall asleep. She’s exhausted.”

“Thank you, Poppy. You’ve got a magical voice.” Basil snuggled up with her and rested his hand on Ashlynn’s back. “Hello sweetheart. Are you being good for grandma?”

Ashlynn was full and sleepy. She didn’t even crack her eyes open to look at her grandpa.

They all rested while they waited for Branch and Sky to return. When they did come back, they came in with their dragons and got off them. Branch walked over to Rainbow and gently woke her. “Sorry to wake you from your sleep Rainbow. I found a river several miles to the west from here. It’s free of ash, and there appears to be enough food to get us by for a few days. Let’s get everyone there before the sun starts to set. If you like, we can figure out where to go from there in the morning, when everyone has a chance to get a proper night’s rest.”

Rainbow nodded and got up. She called everyone together and told them that they were going to go to the river, to get away from the ash. She told them to follow Branch. She gathered her children and helped Pumpkin onto Ghost. She got onto her dragon and waited for Branch and Sky to lead them towards the river.

Poppy walked over to Rainbow and gently set Ashlynn up on a makeshift baby sling. She knew it wasn’t Rainbow’s first time being a mother, but she planned to help her out as much as possible during their move. She had never had to move while having a newborn, so she could only imagine how exhausted and scared Rainbow was. “This should keep her a little warmer and will help so she doesn’t breathe in as much ash.” She had covered Ashlynn in a way so that she had cloth between her and the outside air, but not so tight that she suffocated. “Use your scarfs to cover your faces.” She left to make sure her other children were all set to go outside into the ash covered land.

Once they were all set, Branch and Sky began to lead the entire colony towards the river. They were able to get everyone there before the sun began to set. Branch once again began to set up a meal to feed the colony. He had been taught by his father, Bristle, how to survive on limited ingredients. He was grateful for all the lessons he was taught as a child and was equally grateful that they had the dragons. They had caught dozens of trout from the river and had shared them with the trolls. They were going to eat well that night.

Little did they know, a small colony of country trolls had spotted them. They lived nearby and were quietly checking out the intruders. They were not sure if they were friendly yet or not. Their leader, Delta Dawn, was a watching them from afar. She had her young niece, Clampers, with her. The two of them had plans of approaching the colony in the morning. It was getting too dark to approach them safely, yet. She asked rangers to watch the colony for the night, to make sure they didn’t cause any problems. She wasn’t going to take chances of starting a war with such a large group in the middle of the night. She had a small colony to protect and wasn’t going to let these strangers harm her colony if she could help it. “They can’t stay. We don’t have enough food here to sustain them for long, and they have those god-awful dragons with them. Taming those beasts have to be impossible. They’re insane...”

“I’ll wrangle up the boys and chase them off in the morning aunt Dawn.” Clampers was an eighteen-year-old centaur troll. She was just as protective of their small colony as Delta Dawn was. She left to go over plans with the rangers. She was going to do what it took to protect what little they already had left for the winter.


	6. Stranger Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The colony faces uncertainty when Delta Dawn’s colony approaches them.

Delta Dawn barely waited for the sun to rise, before she led a team of ranchers, including the future mayor, Clampers, towards King Pumpkin and Queen Rainbow’s colony. They began to yell and whoop as they approached the colony. They told them to get out of their territory. They wanted the intruders to leave.

Queen Rainbow was quick to her feet but had gotten up way too fast. She fainted and went stumbling back. 

Thankfully, her brother, Laurel, was right behind her and helped her to her back. He took Ashlynn from her hair and settled her into his hair so she wouldn’t fall to the ground. He hovered over Rainbow and growled at the rangers. He didn’t want them to hurt his older sister. Especially since she was vulnerable at that moment. “Give us some time! My sister needs rest!” He was very worried about her. He didn’t like that she fainted.

Basil was also quick to his feet and pulled out his knife. He glanced around blindly and sneered. “Leave us be! We’ll leave when my daughter has time to rest!”

Pumpkin got between the country trolls and his wife. He pulled out his sword and got ready to defend his family. He motioned his son and four daughters behind him. “Stay behind daddy.” He didn’t want them hurt.

“Whoa! Easy does it! We come in peace!” Poppy hurried over and waved her arms to get their attention. “Please, just give us a few more hours, and we’ll pack up and leave. We’re sorry for intruding and will replace anything we have stolen from this area. We had no time yesterday to check to see if a colony lived nearby.”

Delta Dawn had seen Rainbow faint and saw that she wore a leaf crown. She hushed her rangers and eyed the young mother. She could see that she needed a bath and appeared to have recently given birth. “Why on earth are you traveling with a newborn?” She didn’t look amused. “That’s not safe for the mother or baby!”

“We had no choice! Our local volcano exploded a couple of days ago!” Basil was tense. He startled badly when he felt Branch brush up against him. He shoved him a little bit away and growled. He was on edge and didn’t want to be touched.

Branch hadn’t meant to bump into his brother. He gave him room and watched the rangers intently. He was ready to defend the colony with his life.

“The one that erupted two days ago? That was some explosion. You lived close to it? Looked like the ash spread over one hundred miles.” Clampers had calmed down and was approaching Rainbow. She could see that Rainbow was swollen in the midsection from her birth, had dirty, blood stained clothes, and smelled of milk and dried blood. “Oh my god, the poor dear.” She had never given birth before, but she heard that it was exhausting work. She could only imagine how worn out and awful Rainbow felt.

“Get away from her!” Oleander hurried over and began shoving Clampers away. He was protective of his older sister and didn’t want her hurt. He looked angry, but concern could be seen in his magenta and light blue heterochromia eyes.

Clampers startled when Oleander got defensive. She grabbed his arm and sank her teeth into it, just enough to get his attention. She then took a few steps back and glared at him. When her brown eyes met his colorful, dual colored eyes, they locked. She let out a nervous giggle, and then looked away when she realized that was being inappropriate. “Oh goodness, I’m so sorry. I bite out of habit as a defense mechanism. I can get some antiseptic for that bite.”

Oleander blinked and looked up at her. He met her eyes as well and seemed momentarily mesmerized. He laughed when she apologized. “I’m going to be fine. My cousin, Petal, bites way harder than that. My name is Prince Oleander. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?” He reached over and took her hand. He gave it a light kiss and winked up at her when she let out a gasp. His member was swollen already in excitement. The bite didn’t scare him. It had turned him on instead.

Clampers was awestruck. “My name is Clampers Buttonwillow. You can call me Clampers. I’m the future mayor of this colony.” She made googly eyes at Oleander.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes as the young trolls flirted, until Poppy got between them and faced Oleander. She knew that look, and it made her nervous. “Please don’t fall in love with any of them son. We need you to stay with us. You’re the next in line for the throne if anything happens to Rainbow and Pumpkin.” She didn’t want him to suddenly decide to stay with Clampers. She had felt love at first sight when she met Basil. She didn’t want to lose her eldest biological son. Clampers wasn’t going to leave her home. Not when she was the future ‘queen’ of her own colony.

“I agree with miss pink fuzzy hair.” Delta Dawn got between Clampers and Oleander. She glanced over at Rainbow and frowned. “We can help you for a day or two, but then you will have to go. We don’t have enough food here to sustain a large colony like yours for long. We will end up running out of food.” 

Oleander looked disappointed but moved to stand next to his identical twin brother, Laurel. He shot a glance at him and frowned. He was already feeling his heart break, and he had just met her. He didn’t understand these emotions. He hadn’t found his soulmate yet. He stayed quiet, even when Laurel put his hand on his shoulder. It didn’t even register that his mom told him he was the next in line for the throne, yet.

Brier and Itea joined their quadruplet brothers to protect Rainbow. They glanced around warily. Delta Dawn sounded like she might still violently drive them away. Rainbow needed a little more rest.

“We’ll leave in a few hours.” Pumpkin said dryly. He didn’t want to trust these trolls. Their sudden and loud approach had scared him and his wife. “Now leave us be. We won’t steal anymore food and will replace it as soon as we can.” He glared at the protective mayor. He was very protective of his colony and his family.

Rainbow began to come to. She gasped and looked around with wide, worried eyes. “How long was I out?!” She went to check Ashlynn but didn’t feel her in her hair. “Where is my baby?!” She scrambled to her feet and weaved a few times, before looking around with wide, worried dual colored eyes. She shot glares at the country trolls. “Who the fuck stole her?!” She let out a whimper when Laurel gently gave Ashlynn to her. She hugged into him and sniffled. “Thank you, little brother.” She continued to glare at the country trolls.

Laurel held his older sister and glared in Delta Dawn’s direction. “I’ve got you Rainbow. It’s going to be OK.”

Clampers watched on with a concerned look on her freckled face. She turned to her overprotective aunt and began whispering to her. “That young mother needs to rest aunt Dawn. She’ll collapse again by how much she’s weaving about. Let’s let them clean up at the very least. I can’t imagine what they been through.”

“Their small king said they would leave in a few hours Clampers. Let’s let them be.” Delta Dawn began leading her rangers towards their colony.

Clampers watched her aunt leave, and then turned to the colony. “If you want, I can share my own home with any of you that need a warm bed, a hot meal, and a shower. I can take a few of you at a time. My home isn’t large, but I’m willing to share. Follow me if you wish.” She began following her aunt. She didn’t expect any of them to follow, but she hoped that the young mother at least took the offer.

Oleander watched her go, and then turned to Rainbow. “I’ll take you to her home and make sure you get a shower and a nap. I won’t let anything happen.”

“Oleander, that’s crazy!” Rainbow looked confused. It wasn’t like Oleander to be so trusting, but he did have a little bit of Poppy’s optimism in him. “They were about to attack us when I fainted!”

“I agree with Rainbow. I don’t think this is a good idea.” Basil looked wary. He wanted his children safe.

“I’ll go with them.” Poppy volunteered. She walked over to Rainbow and gently picked her up. “You need a bath mama. You’re prone to infection if you don’t get one soon. Perhaps she can wash your clothes while you nap. I’ll be right there with you and the baby.” She followed Clampers. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Basil put his hands in the air and cursed in frustration. He hoped Poppy wasn’t making a mistake. He didn’t want anything to happen to them.

Rainbow looked uneasy but was too exhausted and sore to resist. She cradled her daughter as her mom carried her. “I want to protect my family. I don’t like this.”

Pumpkin hesitated but watched them go. “I’ll keep the colony safe!” He looked around and frowned. “Let’s start getting ready to go.” He began helping others pack up. He didn’t want to stay much longer. He didn’t feel very welcomed by Delta Dawn.

Oleander, Laurel, Brier, and Itea followed Poppy to assure the safety of their mother, sister, and niece. They were very protective of them. 

“I have a good feeling about this, Rainbow. It’s going to be alright mama.” Poppy reassured her worried daughter. She had a feeling Clampers wouldn’t do anything harmful. She had seen the googly eyes she had given Oleander. She was worried that Oleander would want to stay with her, so she had plans of trying to convince him not to stay. She wanted all of her children safe and within her line of sight. She was just as protective as Basil was.


	7. Feeling Much Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainbow feels a lot better after getting some restful sleep.

Not long after arriving at Clampers’ home, Rainbow was clean, full of warm porridge, and tucked into Clampers’ bed. She fell asleep almost instantly. She had relaxed considerably when she realized that Clampers’ aura was friendly, and she wasn’t threatening. While she slept, Poppy and her quadruplet sons took turns showering and watching Ashlynn for Rainbow. When the little one got hungry, Itea fed her with a bottle that they set up just in case Ashlynn got hungry while Rainbow slept. Poppy wanted her to get a restful nap.

Once the colony was packed, Smidge and Dill made their way towards Delta Dawn’s colony. They found Brier outside Clamper’s home.

Dill immediately went into the home and looked around for Rainbow. He saw her in a bed, sleeping. He smiled softly and backed away to let her get a little more rest. He found the bathroom and got to work on taking a quick shower.

Smidge wasn’t far behind Dill. She found Poppy and smiled when she saw she was in one piece and cleaned up. “So, she didn’t kill you after all.” She looked towards the bathroom when she heard the water begin to run. She looked over at Clampers. “Thank you for taking care of our family.” She walked over to Laurel and gently took Ashlynn from him. “Hello sweetheart. Grandma was worried about you and your family. She had to come and make sure you were OK.”

Poppy smiled at Smidge and played with her long blue-green hair. “I take it, everyone is ready to go? Rainbow hasn’t awakened yet.”

“You’re welcome.” Clampers was in the middle of packing a large bag. She was getting ready to leave. She was going to go with them. She had gotten to know them the last few hours and felt that they would need help. She felt drawn to help them. Especially since she felt a huge connection with Oleander.

“Yeah, Pumpkin is worried about Rainbow and Ashlynn, and is ready to leave. He’s angry over this morning.” Smidge frowned and gently gave Ashlynn back to Laurel when she heard the shower shut off. “I’m going to take a shower really quick, but then we should go. We can’t delay leaving too much longer anyway. We need to get to the ocean before dark, and you know we’ll need to make stops for the little ones.” She went into the bathroom when Dill came out.

Dill overheard Smidge and went to go awaken his sister gently. He knew if he did it, she would be less likely to startle.

“You heard her boys. Let’s get ready to go.” Poppy got up and went to assure that Rainbow got dressed and ready to go.

Oleander took a moment to share a kiss with Clampers, now that his mother wasn’t looking. He groaned as they exchanged saliva. This wasn’t the first kiss he had with her. He was already feeling deep love for her, even though they met that morning. They were definitely bonded.

Clampers whimpered and kissed him back. Oleander’s kisses felt so good. He was another reason she was leaving. She wasn’t going to let him go. He was sweet and handsome. She giggled when she saw that his identical twin, Laurel, was glaring. She looked at Oleander and began to sing.

Oleander laughed and sang a duet with her. He was one eighth rock troll on his father’s side, and loved to sing rock and roll, like his uncle Branch. He pulled out his guitar from his hair and played it. He was feeling playful.

Rainbow came out and smiled when she saw that Oleander was grinning ear to ear. “Didn’t mom say no?” She dragged her little brother away from Clampers and went to grab Ashlynn from Laurel. “Let’s go. Pumpkin is waiting for us, and I want to see my older babies.” She set Ashlynn up to feed on the way. She was eager to get back and felt much better after that nap.

“I’m coming with actually.” Clampers finished getting ready, and waited for everyone to go, before following them. She glanced back at her home, before joining Oleander’s side. She took his hand and smiled at him.

Poppy was a little more relaxed about them being a couple since Clampers was coming with them. She didn’t think about the possibility that Clampers might be the only heir, since Clampers seemed so eager to leave with them. She also thought that the young troll had talked to her aunt when she hadn’t told her aunt anything.

Once Poppy and Smidge returned with their children, everyone began mounting their dragons and left the country trolls territory. They headed for the ocean, in hopes of getting there before it got dark.

Delta Dawn had noticed a little too late to stop Clampers that she had left. She hurried towards the group, just in time to see them leave. She saw that they were headed for the ocean, so she headed back to the colony. She told her second charge that she had to go get Clampers. She then left to go after her niece. She wasn’t amused.

It took several hours to get to the ocean coast, but when they did, Rainbow had Ghost land on the sand. They were all hungry. “I think we need to have a clam bake.”

“I agree! I get dibs on the oysters!” Dill licked his lips and went to help collect the seafood.

Everyone settled down at the beach. It was cold and windy, but the hope of a full stomach had them looking forward to dinner. They all worked together to collect wood, seafood, and seaweed. Once they had what they needed and cooked the food, they all began to eat. Everyone was a lot more relaxed then they were two days earlier. They still had a long travel ahead of them, but things were starting to look up again.

Poppy settled down by Oleander and Clampers. It had become clear by watching them all day that they were happy. She put their hands together and smiled at her son. “I approve. When we find our new home, I’ll help you marry each other.” She gave her son a kiss on his cheek, before leaving them be. She just wanted her boy to be happy.

Clampers smiled at Oleander and snuggled up against him. She was glad that none of them thought of her as different, even though physically she was different. She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She was happy with him already.

Oleander smiled and held her. He was glad his mother approved. Basil was going to be a little more challenging, and he knew that. Basil had been glaring towards him all day. He had been trying to ignore it. He played with Clampers’ orange hair. He couldn’t wait to see what their future held. He was a happy boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Clampers and Oleander sang. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the creators!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_wtZjq9W3k


	8. Love Sees No Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clampers and Oleander get closer during the night.

Later that night, after everyone was settled in to sleep for the night, Oleander led Clampers towards a cove he had seen earlier that evening. He had seen a hidden area near it that he wanted to utilize. The love struck male didn’t want to wait to get married in order to claim Clampers. Once they were hidden, Oleander pulled Clampers close to him and began kissing her eagerly. He groaned as she ran her hands along his hips. His member was swollen and ready.

Clampers groaned and kissed him back. She was eager too. She helped him out of his clothes and took his member into her hand. She began rubbing it as she exchanged saliva with him. She had never mated before, but put full trust in Oleander. He seemed like a good troll, and she had only fallen for him more the more she got to know him.

Oleander helped Clampers out of her own clothes, and inspected her curiously. Her anatomy was different then he had seen before. He was a virgin too, but he knew what a rainbow troll looked like naked. Clampers was a centaur troll, which meant that half her body was horse like. He played with her orange tail for a few minutes, until she tucked it to the side, inviting him to mate with her. He bit his bottom lip and began licking her vulva gently.

Clampers moaned in delight and bit her bottom lip. “That feels so good.”

Oleander smiled up at her, before positioning himself behind her. He pushed his length into her and held her hips as he began thrusting eagerly. He moaned in pleasure and rested his head against her nethers. He murmured that she felt so good.

Clampers let out a loud whimper of pleasure. She tightened her walls and looked back at him with a look of bliss on her face. “Oleander…”

While the two young trolls got busy near the cove, Creek was nearby, to make sure they stayed safe. He knew how protective Poppy was of her eldest biological son, and didn’t want anything to happen to the young prince. He sighed, feeling a small sting of jealousy. He shook it off. It had been nearly three years since Guy Diamond passed away. He missed his mate, but a part of him told him it was time to move on. He had decided a couple of years ago that Branch or Sky were not the right ones to move on with. He was still single and hadn’t found love again. He was certain he would be alone until the day he died, but part of him longed for the pleasure and warmth of holding another. He gasped when his thoughts got interrupted. He could hear someone approaching, and could sense their spirit. He vaguely recognized the spirit, and it quickly became clear why when Delta Dawn approached him. “Delta Dawn?! What are you doing out here?!” He frowned when he realized they promised food. “We haven’t had time to bring you food yet. We will when we can.”

“I didn’t come here for food. I came here looking for my niece, Clampers. Have you seen her?” Delta Dawn had a lantern with her. She lifted it up and blinked a few times when she got a good look at Creek. “Good gravy, you all look like you've been smacked around by a rainbow. You’re a colorful troll.”

“She’s with us. She seemed eager to be with Oleander.” Creek snorted and laughed when she commented on his coloration. “Queen Rainbow loves smacking us around, but she is usually just playing when she does that.”

“What? Oh, that’s the name of your queen? She looked exhausted. Is she feeling better?” Delta Dawn settled down beside Creek and glanced around with the launtern held high. She knew there was no use getting Clampers yet. It was too dark for them to head back safely.

“She’s feeling much better.” Creek watched her sit down and looked around when she glanced around them. “There isn’t anything threatening near us right now.”

“Are you sure?” Delta Dawn looked at him and met his purple eyes with her green eyes. She smiled at him when she suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling she hadn’t felt in years. She swallowed hard and looked away. She had been widowed for years, and had never had children, because her mate was female. She had raised Clampers when her sister died in childbirth, and had accepted that Clampers would be the one to take over when she was old enough to do so. She sighed and set her lantern on the ground. She wasn’t sure about her feelings.

“Yes, I’m sure. I have an ability to sense spirits and emotions.” Creek smiled at her when she smiled at him. He blushed when he suddenly felt the same feelings and noticed she felt a love connection with him. He frowned when it suddenly changed to emotions of mourning. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve been a widow for three years. My mate’s name was Sable. She died after becoming very ill. I miss her.” Delta Dawn sighed and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry for getting a little emotional.”

“No need to apologize Delta Dawn.” Creek sighed softly and looked into her sad, green eyes. “I lost my mate a few years ago too. Guy was murdered. The medical trolls were able to save our baby, and I had one more about five months after his death. I miss him so…”

“It appears we both understand that pain.” Delta Dawn sighed sadly. She looked down at her orange colored hands. She wasn’t sure about the emotions she felt at that moment. They were mixed, because she liked the feeling of love, but she also missed Sable.

“Yeah, it’s hard.” Creek looked down at his hands and sighed. He stayed quiet for a few minutes, before turning to her and smiling. “Maybe some time, I can have my nephew help you see Sable. He has the ability to see and helps others see the dead.”

“That’s a nice ability.” Delta Dawn smiled at him. She knew some trolls had powers. “I would like that.” She shifted closer and looked into his eyes. “You’ve got beautiful eyes.”

Creek blushed and looked into her eyes. He could tell her attention turned back to flirting. He wasn’t sure what to do, since she said her mate had been female, and his mate had been male. He didn’t understand why he was feeling these emotions, when he was very sure he was gay. “Your eyes are beautiful too.” He stuttered nervously.

Delta Dawn giggled and reached over to hold his hand. “So, what is your name, anyway?”

Creek flushed and cringed. He didn’t mean to not tell her his name. “My name is Creek.”

“That’s an odd name for a lavender colored troll, but I suppose it makes sense, since you have blue and green hair.” Delta gave him a dreamy look. “I love how long and colorful your hair is.”

Creek let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I was named after my mom. So was my twin brother, Stream. Her name was River.”

“That’s very sweet.” Delta Dawn reached over and began playing with his long hair. She was wondering what it felt like. It looked silky smooth. “Your hair is so soft.”

Creek was tense for a moment, as she played with his hair, but when she touched his head gently, he melted. He loved when his hair was played with. He groaned and leaned his head forward, so she could message his head.

Delta Dawn giggled and massaged his scalp gently. “You like this.”

“I do…” Creek groaned when his member began to swell in his pants. He cupped his hand over it, to try to hide it.

“Am I turning you on?” Delta Dawn saw his reaction to her message. She bit her bottom lip. She hadn’t mated in a few years. She was curious and felt urges she hadn’t felt in a while.

“Yes…” Creek admitted with a blush.

“May I?” Delta reached her hands towards his pants. When he nodded, she removed them, and looked at his swollen member. “Goodness, you’re large.” She looked up at him and pulled him in for a kiss. She brushed her hand along his member. She wanted it.

Creek gasped when she pounced on him like that. He whimpered and kissed her back. It felt right, even though part of him was worried that this was happening way too fast.

Delta Dawn broke the kiss and looked into his eyes for a moment, before reaching down and taking his member into her mouth. She began giving him head.

Creek gasped and grabbed a hold of her bushy red hair. He moaned loudly and closed his eyes. “Oh my god…” He whimpered and shuddered as she ran her tongue along his delicate tip. The thoughts of moving too fast quickly left his mind. He was a happy boy.

Delta Dawn groaned and continued what she was doing, until Creek released into her mouth. She looked up at him and licked her lips. “Did that feel good, big boy?”

“Mmhmm…” Creek had her look up and kissed her hungrily. He helped her out of her clothes and positioned her so he was behind her. He held her closely and pushed his length into her. He held her closely and began bucking his hips. It felt different, but that didn’t matter to him. It felt good and he was pleased.

Delta Dawn moaned loudly when he pounced on her. She tightened her walls and moved her hips with his hips. She was pleased as well.

The new couple mated well into the night, before snuggling up to each other for the rest of night. All of their worries were temporarily forgotten. At that moment, the widow and widower were happy with each other, and that was all that mattered to them.


	9. A Bad Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trolls wake up to a disaster.

As morning rose, activity at the beach had gone unseen. The tired group were all huddled together for warmth, near the beach line. A hungry seal took advantage of the shifting tides, and waited until the water was at its highest level, before exiting the water. It made it’s way over to the group and quickly began snatching up sleeping trolls. Former King Peppy was one of the first to go, followed quickly by Smidge and little Chrysanthemum, who had all been snuggled up for warmth. Stream was also snatched up and swallowed when he tried to snatch his wife and grandchild. Screams filled the air as they all got up and scrambled to get away from the large beast. It continued eating. It even snatched up an elderly dragon. Once it was full, it began to hobble back towards the water line.

The screams didn’t go unnoticed by Creek, Delta Dawn, Clampers, and Oleander. All four of them scrambled to get dressed, and then ran towards the beach to see what was going on. They got back in time to watch the seal re-enter the water.

“Creek! You said you would keep an eye out for danger! What happened?!” Pumpkin had tears in his eyes as he charged towards his uncle. He had just watched his biological parents and daughter get eaten. He was angry and upset.

Creek’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep!” He looked around for his brother. “Where is Stream?!”

“He got eaten!” Basil’s heart was crushed. He cried into his hands. This time he knew Stream was gone. His spirit vanished the moment he entered the seal’s mouth. He had died from a lethal bite. “I need to try to save the ones that are in its stomach and are still alive!” He ran towards the water. He had hopes that he could save the ones that were still alive in the seal’s stomach.

“Basil! You can’t! You’ll get killed!” Poppy grabbed him and practically got dragged by their grieving mate. “It’s too late!”

It took Dill, Oleander, Laurel, Brier, and Itea to help Poppy hold Basil back. They all held their father and cried with him. The entire colony faded gray in grief.

While the colony grieved on the land, a mertroll, by the name of King Trollex, saw the seal re-enter the water. He noticed a tuft of hair in its teeth, that looked like it belonged to a land troll. He summoned his colony and went after the large beast. They surrounded it and attacked it when King Trollex asked them to do so. It took the whole colony to kill the seal and open it up. It was too late for everyone that had been eaten, but at least now the land trolls could bury the dead. They gathered up the bodies and resurfaced near the beach.

“Hey!” King Trollex waved to them. “I killed that predator. I’m sorry, but it’s too late to save anyone. I’m very sorry.” He carried Smidge to the beach and gently laid her down on the sand.

Basil broke from his family and ran over to King Trollex. He reached down and felt Smidge’s face. She was already cold and he didn’t sense her spirit. She was gone. He picked her up and held her. “I’m sorry little mama. We’ll make sure you and everyone else gets buried.” Tears ran down his cheeks as he headed for the mainland. He shot a glare towards Creek as he passed by. He was angry with him.

Creek sobbed when he saw his brother placed on the shore. Stream was torn up. He looked away and cringed. “This is all my fault!” He fell to his knees and startled when Delta Dawn put her hand on his back.

“You stayed up for hours, Creek. It was an accident.” Delta Dawn tried to reassure her grieving mate. She winced when he shoved her hands away. She knew how much it hurt to lose a sibling. She understood that he was hurting. She stayed by his side and offered support, even though he wasn’t ready for it yet.

“Let’s all get them ready to bury.” Rainbow had tears in her eyes as she picked up Chrysanthemum and carried her after her father, Basil. “I’ve got you baby girl.” She sniffled and began to cry. She was devastated. She already had plans of trying to get her back. She was just a baby. It wasn’t her time yet.

“Thank you for letting us give them a proper funeral.” Poppy thanked King Trollex, before picking up her father’s battered body. She followed her mate and daughter.

Once everyone who was killed was gathered, everyone got to work on burying the dead. They did it quickly so that no more predators were attracted to them. Once they were underground, Basil walked over to Creek and tackled into him. He began throwing punches. “You promised to watch the colony overnight! You should have woken someone up when you got tired!”

Creek took the punches and sniffled. Tears ran down his cheeks. His heart was crushed. His twin was dead, and he blamed himself for that. He felt like he deserved all those punches. He thought he deserved death for letting them down.

“Dad! Stop! It’s not his fault! You know that!” Rainbow pulled Basil off of Creek. “We’re all tired! Beating Creek up isn’t going to bring them all back!”

“Rainbow is right. Let’s get away from the beach and talk about where we will go next.” Poppy looked over at Delta Dawn. “I suggest you go home. Clampers is staying with us. Oleander needs her right now. I’m sorry. You’ll have to find another leader.”

“I’m going to get my colony and bring them here. I want to stay with your colony and help. Are you coming Creek?” Delta Dawn offered her hand and helped him stand when he took her hand.

“Just take him and go!” Basil hissed. He was livid with Creek, despite the reminder that they were all tired. Grief had him angry. He wanted his mates back. He had lost three mates now. He was very upset.

Creek hung his head and went to take Diamond and Ukulele’s hands. He winced when they shied away from him and hugged into Mercy. His emotional auras scared them. He looked upset. Of course they wanted to stay with auntie Mercy. He sobbed as he was led away by Delta Dawn. 

“I’m going with him. I can’t lose him too.” Mercy picked up Diamond and Ukulele, and gave them to Ice. She followed her grieving brother. She wanted to make sure he didn’t hurt himself.

Faith quickly followed her brother and sister, to assure that they traveled safely. She led their pets with her, so they could get to the country troll colony faster.

“Dad…” Rainbow frowned and watched Basil. His aura screamed anger and sadness. She had never seen him like this before. She sniffled and pulled her mate and living children closer. “We’re going to stay up near the trees, where it is safe, until they come back. I want to give them three days. If they don’t come back, we will have to move on.”

“I agree.” Pumpkin sniffled and snuggled up against his mate. He was devastated. They all needed a few days to recover from their losses, before moving on anyway. Life wasn’t going to be the same without all those that they had lost.


	10. Merging Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delta Dawn merges her colony with Queen Rainbow’s colony.

It took three days for Delta Dawn to gather her colony, pack, and move them to where King Pumpkin and Queen Rainbow’s colony waited. They approached the large group, just as Rainbow was preparing to leave. A sense of relief filled Rainbow. She really didn’t want to leave Creek, Mercy, and Faith behind, but they needed to leave and keep moving. She didn’t want to stay where they were. They were too close to the ocean and everyone had been jumpy since the attack. Food wasn’t a problem, but safety was. Thankfully, their new friend, King Trollex, had been helping them and assuring they got food safely. They had also eaten the seal, as a form of revenge.

Creek was still down in the dumps and acting very depressed. He blamed himself for their losses and felt awful for letting everyone down. He startled when Rainbow ran over and gave him a hug. He sniffled and hugged her back. “I’m so sorry Rainbow.” He sniffled and held back crying. He wasn’t expecting a warm welcome. He had been afraid to go back and face his family, but he missed his babies.

Pumpkin came over and gave Creek a tight hug. “We were worried about you. I’m so sorry for snapping at you a few days ago. I was upset and took it out on the wrong troll. I love you uncle Creek. I know you didn’t mean to fall asleep. You got tired, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Basil walked over and joined the hug. Tears streamed down his cheeks. “I’m sorry for hitting you and taking my grief out on you, Creek. I didn’t realize you were keeping an eye on Oleander. If I had known, I wouldn’t have attacked you.” He sniffled and rubbed Creek’s back. “Next time, if you watch out, wake someone before you follow a pair. This is a life lesson for us all.”

Several more trolls joined in the hug. They had realized that Creek was just taking care of Oleander and had stranded a little too far. Even if he was nearby, he couldn’t have stopped what happened. It was what it was, and now they needed to move on, and love those that they still had left. They needed to work together.

Creek couldn’t help but cry. He thought everyone was mad at him. It was a huge relief that they were not mad at him anymore. He took Diamond and Ukulele from Ice when he gave them to him. He held his babies and sniffled. “I love you my sweet girls. I’m sorry for scaring you.” He had realized after calming down a few days earlier that he probably scared them. He knew they were young spiritual trollings.

Mercy rejoined Ice and snuggled up to her mate. She had missed him, but she needed to take care of her brother. She was protective of all of her family.

“Creek has had some busy few days. He got married.” Faith patted Creek on the back. “He has clung right up to Delta Dawn and married her yesterday.” She was glad he was able to find love. She had been so worried about him.

“You sly dog. You got married? She’s a pretty girl, isn’t she?” Branch nudged him gently. He was a little jealous, but at the same time, he was glad. Creek had been through a lot the last few years. He needed the love.

“Congratulations…” Rainbow smiled softly and looked at the country trolls. “Welcome to our colony, all of you and thank you for joining us to help us.”

“Rainbow? I wanted to merge colonies. Creek has talked a lot the last few days, and it seems we would both benefit by combining colonies. We will provide our knowledge and medicine during your hard time, and in return, I’ll step down as leader. You’ll lead us, all if that’s alright?”

“Merge colonies? I’m OK with this. Pumpkin? Are you alright with that?” Rainbow looked down at her husband. She wanted to make sure he approved.

“I think this is a great idea. Welcome to our colony. Now that we are all together, let’s start the journey to find a new home. We’re not staying here.” Pumpkin looked at Delta Dawn. “Do you know of any territories that have a mountain nearby? Preferably one that has an underwater stream or spring? We prefer fresh spring water as a source of drinking water. Especially after dealing with a bad water source when Rainbow and I were young.” He remembered the troubles they had when he was a little trolling.

“I know of one, but it’s hard to get to.” Delta Dawn pulled out a map and looked at it. “We would have to cross Queen Barbara’s territory. She’s not a kind troll. We used to make the journey years ago to collect medicine and water there, but she always drove us away violently. It won’t be easy.”

“Challenge accepted.” Basil smirked. He had heard of this Queen Barb, and she didn’t scare him. “Let’s get going. We should make it to our new home as soon as possible, so we can plant seeds to prepare for next winter.”

“Dad is right. Let’s go.” Rainbow assured that everyone gathered and got on their dragons. It was a little tricky to make sure the new trolls had dragons to ride on, but they got everyone on dragons. She had Ghost fly off. They still had a long way to go, but they were going to get through this as a family. She wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.


	11. An Unlucky Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident causes frustration for one of the teenagers.

Later that night, after everyone was settled and had dinner, Splash decided to go exploring. Crash had continued to be mean to him since the day he got busted for mating with Paprika. He needed a break from his twin. He knew he needed to stay close by, so he started climbing the tree next to them. He settled down high in the tree and rested so he was belly down, looking down at his family. He watched his oldest sister, with baby Ashlynn. He loved his sister, and had grown closer to her after Stream died. He missed his daddy, and wanted him back. He knew death was permanent, but a part of him hoped that Stream could come back. He knew Rainbow had the ability to help spirits resurrect, oftentimes with the same body they died in, but as a younger version. He hoped his daddy came back, even if he was a sibling, cousin, or even a son or daughter, when his time came to be a father.

At the base of the tree, Branch, Rainbow, Basil, Poppy, Pumpkin, and Delta Dawn were discussing ideas among themselves and others who might have good ideas on how to approach Queen Barb. When Basil realized that his son was no longer with them, he looked up towards the location his son was at and frowned. “Splash! Come down here and be a part of this discussion!” He knew Splash was a smart boy, and he wasn’t going to turn down any ideas that his son might have.

Splash let out a soft sigh. “So much for having a few minutes away from Crash…” He complained quietly, before going to stand. The branch was wet from a recent rainfall, and the bark was slippery. He slipped when he got up and scrambled to get his footing, just to crash head first into the branch. He got knocked unconscious from hitting his head. He came falling down and landed on the ground with a thud.

Basil immediately noticed a change in Splash’s spiritual presence. His eyes went wide when he heard his son hit the ground. He got up and hurried towards where he heard Splash fall. “Splash?!”

Branch, Fairy, Mama Goldie, and Symphony quickly hurried over to Splash and began to check him over. He appeared to have a concussion and his leg was clearly broken. They made sure nothing else was broken, including his neck and back, before moving him closer to the fire. Mama Goldie straightened the bones in his leg, while Branch left to get fresh, clean water. His leg was so badly broken that bone was sticking out. It had to be cleaned up.

Splash regained consciousness and let out sobs from the pain he was in. He looked around with tears in his eyes. “It hurts!”

“I know buddy. Hold my hand. It’s going to be alright.” Basil took his son’s hand and held it. He looked worried. He wished his son hadn’t gotten hurt. He knew how much broken bones hurt.

Delta Dawn came over to them with a first aid kit, and pulled out supplies to help with the break. She looked concerned. The break was bad. She hoped he wouldn’t get an infection or lose his leg. It was not ideal conditions for this sort of injury.

“Stop being baby!” Crash glared towards his brother. He didn’t understand what the fuss was about. They had fallen out of trees before and had been fine.

“Be nice, Crash. His leg is badly broken.” Branch came back and began cleaning the wounds from the break. He winced when Splash let out a loud sob. “I know buddy. I’m so sorry.” He looked around for something that could help with pain. He didn’t see anything obvious. He looked at Delta Dawn. “Do you have anything to give him for pain?”

“Yeah, I have a bottle of morphine pills. It’s very effective, but he’ll be sleepy and might feel a little loopy. It may also cause him to feel sick to his stomach.” She took a pill out of the bottle and broke it in half, since he was still young. She gave it to the injured teen, and had him chase it with some water.

Splash sniffled and looked up at Delta Dawn. “Thank you…” It started to take the edge off quickly, but his leg was still very painful. He yelped when they started working on getting his leg braced so it wouldn’t move around. He shot a glare at Crash when he overheard him say he was just faking it to get attention. “Fuck you, Crash! I’m not faking it!” His blood boiled at his brother’s words. “Stop being mean to me!”

“Alright you two, break it up! Crash, go to bed! Now!” Basil pointed towards where the youngsters had gathered to go to sleep for the night.

Crash stomped his feet and stormed over to the other trollings. He laid down and turned his back to his family. He was annoyed that his brother was getting attention, and he was getting punished still.

Once Splash’s leg was braced, he was settled with a blanket wrapped around him. He rubbed his face of tears and began to cry quietly. He wanted his daddy Stream. He startled when Rainbow settled down beside him. He snuggled into her and sniffled. “I’m sorry for messing up big sister.”

“Messing up? Oh Splash, your fall was an accident. It’s OK little brother.” Rainbow shifted Splash’s head, so he was snuggled up to her chest. “I’ve got you.”

“Feels like I messed up. I shouldn’t have climbed that tree.” Splash looked up at her. He was already a little dizzy from the strong pain medicine. He kept his head on her. He didn’t like how odd he felt, but the pain medicine was helping with his pain.

“You love climbing trees. Nothing wrong with climbing Splash.” Rainbow played with his hair. “Get some rest. You need it so your leg can heal.” She had a feeling their journey through Queen Barb’s territory just got harder, but Splash was precious. She had plans to assure he got through the journey without any more pain. They talked about making sure the stronger, healthier trolls distracted Queen Barb’s colony, while those who might struggle passed them to get to safer land. Splash was going to go with the group that might struggle, now that he was hurt.

“I want papa…” Splash sniffled and tried hard not to cry more. He wanted Stream so badly. He glanced at Basil when he felt him sit next to him. He was glad he still had his daddy Basil, but he had a very special bond with his papa Stream.

“I know you do buddy. I’m so sorry.” Rainbow began to sing, in hopes that a song might help Splash fall asleep. He was going to need all the rest he could get. They were all going to need to rest well that night. They had a busy day ahead of them, and none of them needed to be tired for it. She planned to stay awake for the first couple of hours of the night. As her song faded, she noticed everyone had dozed off. She smiled and cuddled with her little brother. She hoped he could rest easy. It wasn’t going to be easy for him for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Rainbow sang. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the creators!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70VlAyEUXYM


	12. Rock City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Pumpkin and Queen Rainbow must cross their colony through a larger colony, to get them to a safe home.

The next day, after everyone was awake and ready to go, the trolls made their way towards Queen Barb’s colony. It was a large territory that spread across a lot of land. The rock trolls were very successful and had built a city to support themselves. Queen Barb took care of them and made sure they had what they needed. She was married to a troll named Riff and had had a few children with him. The thirty-five-year-old queen was fiercely territorial, and didn’t like anyone passing through her land, even though she knew that it was hard to go around. As Rainbow and Pumpkin approached the territory, they split off. Rainbow led the young, old, injured, most of the medical trolls, some of the healthy trolls, and disabled towards a mountain that she saw in the distance, while Pumpkin led those who could fight, closer to the center of the territory as a distraction. They hoped by doing it this way, there would be fewer trolls attacked.

Rainbow looked around as she led her group. She frowned when they got noticed. She led them as quickly as she could out of the territory before the rock trolls attacked them. She heard shouting as she flew over them. The rock trolls had bow and arrows and started to pull them out. She heard one arrow whistle by her. She cringed and shouted that they were just passing by. She yelped when she felt one hit her in her right arm. “Please! We’re not going to stay!” She tried hard to remain calm as they went as fast as they could out of the territory. Once they were through the city, she had them keep going. She wasn’t bleeding badly and wanted them to be as far away as possible. She noticed others were also injured, but no one was critically injured. Once they were far enough away, she had them land. She watched as Fairy, Mama Goldie, and Symphony got to work on treating the injured. She was glad they got through the territory alive. She hoped that Pumpkin’s group was also successful.

Pumpkin’s group was also attacked and forced to the ground using ropes. They were not killed. Instead, they were led to King Riff and Queen Barbara’s palace. A couple of them had minor injuries from rocks and arrows, but no one was critically injured yet.

Once they arrived, Queen Barb approached them and looked them over. “Rainbow trolls and centaur trolls working together? Barf!” She stopped in front of Pumpkin and laughed when she saw he had a crown on his head. “So, this is King Pumpkin?! I was expecting this shrimp to be at least three centimeters taller than this. Your kingdom is being ran by a child!” She looked among them and laughed when she realized that several of them had heterochromia eyes. “Oh my god, Riff! Look at them. They’re all descendants of the royal family! They have great granddad’s dual colored eyes! Bet some unfortunate soul had an encounter with him.” She laughed maniacally. She gasped when she saw Basil. “There’s the blind king, Basil! Hello! Can you see me?!” She waved her hands in front of him and laughed when Basil lunged at her. She stepped back and let Basil’s brothers hold him back. “Weak, unearthly creatures! No courage and refusing to fight!” She laughed at them. She wasn’t afraid of them at all. They were fiercely outnumbered.

King Pumpkin sneered and glared up at her. “We’re just passing through your territory! Let us through!”

Branch glared at Queen Barb as he held his brother back. He knew his mother was a rape child. It seemed him and his brothers were related to this jerk. “We just want to pass through. We won’t steal anything.”

“Hmm…” Barb put her hand up to her chin and had an expression on her face as if she were thinking. “You’re stealing my breathing air. I’ll let you pass, as corpses.” She smirked and willed her sword.

“Barbara! Can’t we give them a fair chance? Perhaps a dance off?” Riff was a lot nicer than his wife and could see that the group was scared. He wanted them to have a chance, not that he thought they had much of a chance.

“Fine, one of you have to face me in a dance off. Lose and you all die. Hope you all can dance to hard rock.” Barb smirked and left to prepare for the dance off.

Branch smirked and looked at the group. Many of them were part rock trolls, so they had a slightly higher chance. He turned to his brothers and family and began discussing a battle plan. Oleander would lead them since he had studied the most rock. “We can do this. Once she lets us go, we’ll leave quickly, so they won’t attack us again. Oleander? I need you to get your best dancing skills on. We need you to lead us.”

“I’m on it, uncle Branch.” Oleander smirked and quickly prepared to dance.

About an hour later, Barb had gathered all of her colony and had dressed nicely for the dance off. She pointed to Riff and smirked when he began playing on his drums. She began dancing and playing on her guitar.

Oleander was prepared with his own guitar. He yawned and looked at his hug time bracelet when it went off. He was pretending to be bored, even though they were playing nice music. Once it was his turn, he ripped into his guitar and stuck his tongue out. He began to dance beautifully for that style of music. He was determined to help them win.

Branch led Basil and Sky with other instruments. They had determined looks on their faces.

Barb watched intently and smirked when it was her turn. She turned it up a notch and danced a little longer.

Oleander watched on and nodded. When it was his turn again, he tried to surpass her. He was a determined young troll.

The battle continued for a few hours, before Riff stopped them. “Impressive work, rainbow trolls. You’re free to go. No one is to harm them!” He looked among his people. He thought they battled fairly, and he felt it was right to let them go.

“Riff!” Barb breathed hard and sneered. “You can’t let them go!” She gasped when she saw all of rainbow trolls and centaur trolls run off. She slammed her guitar down and growled. “God damn it!” She pointed to a few rainbow trolls that she had captured while they were passing through her territory a few years earlier. “You three, go after them and make sure they suffer! They will not get away with this!”

“Yes mam, right away.” Chaz was a smooth jazz playing trolling, who had the ability to hypnotize trolls to his liking. He wasn’t a great troll himself, and already had a plan of how to make them suffer. He left to go after them.

Hickory frowned and looked at his shorter brother, Dickory. They were yodelers. He was the kinder of the two brothers. He let out a soft sigh, before following Chaz. He didn’t want to attack anyone.

Dickory followed them to assure that the rainbow and centaur trolls suffered. He wasn’t as nice as his brother.

Queen Barb smirked and watched the three males leave. She knew they were feisty and had no doubt that they would avenge her. She looked forward to hearing stories about it later. She really was a cruel and unfair queen.

Once the second group was out of the territory, they began searching for Rainbow’s group. They found them relatively quickly and began working on treating the injured trolls in the second group. They were all completely unaware that three males that had followed them. They thought they had all gotten away without losing any lives.


	13. No Rules Apply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaz causes trolls to do things that they would have never done normally.

After everyone was treated for their injuries, everyone settled down to rest. They all worked together to make dinner. They were all very hungry after the busy day they just had. Some of them wanted to go back and get revenge with the rock trolls, since Rainbow had been injured, but Rainbow told them that she didn’t want them to go. She wanted her family safe. It took several of them to hold Basil back from leaving anyway. He was livid that someone had shot his daughter and injured her. Pumpkin wanted to go too, but Rainbow was firmly telling them not to go. They were fiercely outnumbered.

After they all had a chance to eat, Pearl settled down beside Splash. She had been helping take care of him since he fell off the tree the day before. She was his girlfriend and had plans of marrying him when he was old enough. She was very protective of him.

Splash had just had a half a morphine pill with his supper and was out cold. He was hating how much the medicine made him sleepy, but at this point, he rather be loopy then in excruciating amounts of pain.

Not far from where the group gathered, Chaz watched them. He began playing a soothing jazz song and moved closer to the group. He hypnotized them to do what they all fantasized about doing. He also made sure children fell asleep, so they wouldn’t cause problems for him and the yodeling brothers. He smirked and stopped in front of young Sunshine. He began raping the poor teenager. She was blissfully unaware that anything harmful was happening to her.

Dickory wasn’t far behind Chaz. He was smaller than Chaz, so he had his eyes set on a different troll. He grabbed Pumpkin and began having his way with the young king.

Hickory had a look of disbelief on his face. “Horny bastards…” He shook his head and went to go hide from them. He had earplugs in his ears, so that he wouldn’t be affected by the music.

Branch ended up over by Creek. He had felt a love connection with the lavender guru. He began mating with him, while Creek mated with Delta Dawn.

Most trolls were mating with their own mates at this point. Some of them went to do something fun instead. Ice had left to go fishing, but he wasn’t doing it properly. Mercy had grabbed a rock and was acting like she was reading a book. Poppy was moving rocks and sticks around like she was making a scrapbook. Basil was rubbing a stick against a rock, as if he were making a painting.

Once Chaz was done mating with Sunshine, he switched to mate with another teenager, young Splash. He pulled Pearl off of him, who had been riding him gently. He forced himself on the young teenager and began raping him next.

Pearl stumbled away and settled down by the river. She began splashing in the cold water, as if she was taking a bath.

Dickory also finished and switched to rape Fairy. He growled when Rusty pushed up against him. “Get off me, you moron!” He suddenly had a surprised look on his face when Rusty began mating with him. Rusty was completely unaware that he wasn’t mating with his wife.

Creek ended up pulling out of Delta Dawn and pounced on Branch. He thought he was mating with Guy Diamond and wanted to have a turn with who he thought was his dead mate.

The chaos continued for a couple of hours before Symphony felt her mate pull her in for a kiss. She had been taking a nap. She thought at first that he was waking her up to mate with her, since Jade was likely asleep. She let him do what he wanted to her and moaned in pleasure when he pushed into her. She was the only troll unaffected by the music. She didn’t notice the chaos at first and was enjoying the sex. They had needed this sort of stress relief for about a week. It was when she noticed that someone was on top of Splash that she noticed that something was wrong. She pushed her mate off and got to her feet. She hurried over and began pulling Zinfandel off of Splash. She signed to him that he was too young, and that Pearl was Splash’s mate, not Zinfandel. She was very confused. Especially when Zinfandel went to pounce on the injured trolling again. She noticed that Pearl was snuggled up to Splash. She shook her and frowned when she realized she was cold and wet. She realized something wasn’t right. She looked around and sneered when she noticed two strangers in their temporary camp. She saw Chaz was now mating with Lucky. She charged over to him and pulled out her knife. She began stabbing him angrily. Lucky was a teenager and was her cousin. She was livid.

“What the fuck? How are you not hypnotized?!” Chaz pulled out of Lucky and began to struggle with Symphony. He didn’t last long, before dropping to the ground and bleeding to death.

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on. Creek let out a holler of surprise. He was under Branch! He shoved him off and scrambled to his feet. He growled when he noticed that Dickory was mating with one of his daughters, Moonlight. He pulled him off and began killing the rapist angrily.

Dickory didn’t last long, before succumbing to his injuries.

A mad scramble followed. Everyone tried to make sense of what just happened. They remembered everything. Several teenagers and adults had either been raped or mated with their loved ones or friends. It was almost as if they had all been high and drunk. Splash was in distress and was sobbing into his hands. He was in extra pain, from being jostled around. His leg brace had been torn off, and his leg was at an odd angle again. He needed treatment immediately.

Mama Goldie got to work on fixing Splash’s painful leg again. She was sore and angry. Cyprus had mated with her. She was glad she had gone through the change, because she was in her sixties, and was far too old to bare anymore children. She had great grandchildren after all. She kept shooting glares towards Cyprus. She knew he had a crush on her, but she didn’t feel the same way. She was pissed that he mated with her.

Crash was sprawled out nearby. He had been mated with too and had mated with Paprika again. He was very tired. He frowned when his dad came over and helped him to his feet. “I didn’t mean to dad.” He thought he was in trouble.

“Don’t worry about it right now, son. Go get cleaned up and settle down by the fire.” Basil brushed the dirt off his son. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that a lot of kids were going to end up pregnant. He was worried about them.

Once everyone was clean, warmed up, and settled, all of them went to sleep except for Symphony and Splash. Splash was in too much pain to sleep and Symphony was going to stay up for the first few hours of night watch. She had a look on her face as if she wanted to kill anyone or anything that might approach them that night. She was pissed that she hadn’t woken up sooner to help them. Normally her disability didn’t bother her, but at that moment, she wished she wasn’t deaf. She wanted her family safe.

Nearby, Hickory settled down for the night. He kept himself hidden and hoped they hadn’t noticed him. He was sad that his brother was dead, but at the same time, he was glad that his greedy brother would no longer plague his life. He hoped he could join this colony but wasn’t sure how to approach them. He knew Chaz and Dickory just made all these trolls incredibly angry and upset. He hoped sometime soon, he could go talk to them. He just wanted to live a normal life again.


	14. Splash Has A Bad Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Splash struggles to get through the night.

A few hours later, after Symphony went to sleep, and Basil took over night watch, Splash requested help to go to the bathroom. He yelped as his father helped him to his one good leg, and cringed when Basil picked him and carried him over to a tree. He breathed hard, knowing the next part would hurt badly. He let out a loud cry as his father set him back down to balance on his good leg. He quickly moved his pants down and held his penis as he began to pee. He had almost peed himself. He had been holding it for a long time. Going to the bathroom was very painful. “I’m so sorry dad.” He sniffled and swallowed hard. “I have to poop too.” He was worried how that was going to go. He hadn’t gone poop since before he broke his leg.

“It’s OK son. I know it hurts. I broke my leg before too. It’s not fun.” Basil waited until Splash was done peeing, before helping him into a good position to poop. Once he was done, he pulled out a few leaves from his hair and helped his son clean up. Once Splash was clean, he carried him over to the campfire and gently set him down.

Splash’s leg was throbbing at this point. When he was set down, he let out a loud cry. He clenched his fists and sobbed. “It hurts so badly!”

“I know son. I wish I could take this pain away.” Basil frowned and settled down beside him. He ran his hand through his son’s hair to try to soothe him. It was too early for Splash to have another pain pill, or he would have given him one.

Crash had awakened when his brother began to cry out in pain. When Splash didn’t quiet down, he got up and headed over to them. “Splash! Would you stop whining?! We’re all uncomfortable! You’re not the only one who had a bad night! You’re just faking it because you want attention!” He nudged Splash’s broken leg aside with his foot. He didn’t understand.

Splash did quiet down a little when his brother came over and started yelling at him. Crash had been mean to him all day, and he tried hard to not make any noises when Crash approached him, because it only made things worse. When Crash nudged his leg, he took in a deep breath and screamed in agony. He was in so much pain now that he felt sick to his stomach. He grabbed a bowl that was beside him just in case he needed to vomit. He began heaving up what was in his stomach. He sobbed between heaves.

Basil got to his feet and sneered. “What did you just do Crash?!” He grabbed his son by the ear. “Did you just touch his leg?!”

Crash widened his eyes when Splash began to puke. There was no faking that. He startled when Basil grabbed him by the ear. “I didn’t nudge it that hard…” He had a feeling he was in big trouble now. Basil’s aura screamed that he was livid.

Splash finished getting sick and put his head back. He sobbed in pain. “It hurts!!!”

“You have no idea how much pain your brother is in! Read his aura and stop being a jackass! He doesn’t deserve your bullying right now or ever! He’s in so much pain that he can’t sleep! Everything he does hurts badly! Leave him the fuck alone! Do I make myself clear?!” Basil gave Crash a few firm whacks in the butt to help get his point across. He didn’t like punishing his kids physically, but Crash wasn’t getting it. He was being too mean.

Crash was quiet as his dad scolded him. He hung his head after his father spanked him. He swallowed hard and rubbed his bottom. “Loud and clear dad. I’m sorry.” He looked at Splash and frowned. “I’m sorry Splash.” He went to go lay back down. He had finally gotten a clue that Splash really was in agony.

Everyone was awake now. Several of them moved closer to Splash and tried to comfort the poor teen. They were not sure what else to do, until they found some other source of pain relief or his time for the morphine came. They didn’t want to overdose him and kill him with the morphine.

Splash continued to sob. He startled whenever anyone got close to his leg. He didn’t want it moved or touched again.

Hickory listened to them nearby. He could hear the poor teenager’s cries of pain. He had a mix of pain killing herbs on him, just in case he got injured. He thought for a moment, before getting up and heading towards the group. He was willing to give up the herbs, to help this poor teenager. He had a bad feeling the young troll was badly injured. He hoped that it wasn’t Chaz or Dickory’s doing. He wished now he had intervened. Once he was within line of sight, he put his hands up. “I come in peace. My name is Hickory. I can help your injured troll. He sounds like he’s in excruciating amounts of pain.” The forty year old was worried that they might still attack him, even though he was trying to help.

Pumpkin got up and willed his sword. He looked Hickory up and down. “You’re related to the one that raped me! I should kill you!”

“Pumpkin! He didn’t cause our pain. Don’t you dare…” Rainbow got between them and looked at Hickory. “What do you have? My brother broke his leg just over twenty four hours ago. He’s in a lot of pain.”

Hickory pulled out a pouch full of dried herbs. He handed it to Rainbow, and then backed up and gave them room. He knew they were all wary, and he didn’t blame them one bit.

“He’s trying to poison Splash!” Basil snapped, before grabbing the pouch. He sniffed it and noticed it was full of herbal medications. It was certainly going to help Splash a lot, but doubt had him nervous. “I don’t trust him!”

“Dad? Please give it to me. I trust him.” Splash sniffled and rubbed his face of tears. He figured the worst case scenario, he would be poisoned and die. At this point he was willing to try anything to take some of the pain away.

“Let me see it.” Branch took it and inspected the contents of the pouch. He glanced up at Hickory and looked him over. “You know medicine? Or was this stolen?” He was surprised that this troll seemed to know a good herbal combo for pain relief. This was certainly going to help.

“Yeah, I know herbs. I’m a lumberjack, but I learned a lot about herbs too. I sometimes hurt myself while cutting wood. That all changed when Queen Barb captured us and made us slaves.” He looked at Splash. “He needs those herbs more than I do right now. I’m sorry for what my brother did. I hope you feel better soon kid.” He turned to go back to his hiding spot to rest. He wasn’t sure they would let him stay right now. They were still on edge.

“Wait! Don’t go.” Rainbow hurried over to him and stopped him. “Stay with us.” She led him towards the group. The spirits were telling her that he was a good troll. She trusted the spirits.

Pumpkin looked wary. Rainbow had Ashlynn in her hair. He didn’t want anything to happen to their newborn or their family. He kept his sword ready, just in case. He wasn’t taking chances, despite the reassurances from the spirits.

Branch set up a cup of tea with some of the contents of the pouch. He gave it to Splash and watched him drink it. He was worried that this was a trick, but Splash was old enough to make some decisions on his own. If he wanted it, he was going to let him have it.

Basil began to pace. He was very nervous. He heard his son slurp on the hot tea and frowned when he realized he was taking the medicine. Tears threatened, but he quickly wiped them away. If Splash suddenly became ill and died, he was going to kill Hickory. He was a very nervous father. He had already lost two mates, a daughter, and friends. He didn’t want to lose anyone else.

“Please settle down dad. It’s going to be OK.” Rainbow settled down beside Splash and cuddled up with him. “Drink up little brother. You’re going to be OK.”

Hickory sat down nearby and put his hands near the fire to warm his hands. He had gotten cold laying by himself, so the fire felt nice.

It took about an hour, before Splash felt well enough to close his eyes. He began dozing off. The lavender and chamomile in the mix had made him sleepy. He was finally able to get some sleep.

Basil noticed that his son had relaxed. He sighed in relief and sat down by Splash and Hickory. He kept himself between Hickory and Splash. “Thank you so much for helping my boy. I’m sorry for not trusting you. It’s been a long and hard week.”

“I understand. It’s King Basil, right? I heard a lot about you. There was a lot of speculation about a rainbow troll kingdom far from here that had a blind king. It was a little hard to believe someone who couldn’t see could run a kingdom smoothly, and change a lot of rules. You’re brave.” Hickory was roasting a chestnut over the fire. He turned it over on the hot coals.

“I didn’t do it alone, but yes, I was King Basil. I helped our kingdom through several difficult situations and am protective of them all.” Basil settled down to cuddle with Splash. He was still going to stay close to his injured son.

“Was? Why did you step down?” Hickory inquired curiously. He pulled the chestnut off the fire and waited for it to cool so he could crack it open.

“Pumpkin turned twenty one and my daughter has been twenty one for eight months, and that’s when the older generation steps down, and lets their children take over. I trust my daughter and son in law to do a good job.” Basil listened to Hickory move around. He was still wary, but had relaxed a lot.

“That makes sense, but you’re still king to me. Just like King Pumpkin and Queen Rainbow are king and queen in their own right.” Hickory smiled at Basil, before cracking open his chestnut. He scooped up the contents, ground it into a powder, and mixed it with chocolate, sugar, and milk. He gave some to Basil. “It’s not as good as hazelnut spread, but it’s tasty. Try it.”

Basil hesitated, before eating the chocolate chestnut spread. He groaned in delight and ate what Hickory gave him. He missed chocolate, but they hadn’t had access to it since before the volcanic explosion. “This is great. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Hickory ate his own spread and smiled. He had a feeling he just made a friend. He hoped he could continue to gain their trust. They all seemed like a great group of trolls, who had been through a lot. He looked forward to getting to know them all.


	15. Another Leg In The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trolls continue their journey to a new home.

Rainbow and Pumpkin decided that Splash needed a couple of days to recover from the devastating reinjury of his broken leg. On the second day at their location, they began packing up to leave. They decided waiting any longer could be worse for him then better. His leg was very swollen and needed surgery. Doing it out in the open wasn’t ideal, and they didn’t want to stay there long enough to make a shelter suitable enough to give him surgery. They wanted to get as far away from Queen Barb as possible. Once they were ready to go, they got on their dragons and took flight. 

Splash was snuggled up to Poppy’s chest. He was given morphine and the herbal pain medication. He was sleepy, but the medicine was helping. He whispered that he loved his mama. He was glad he got to cuddle with her while they flew. His missed mama snuggles.

“I love you, my sweet boy. Mama has you.” Poppy held him closely and rubbed his back. She was very worried about him. He had a fever. She had a bad feeling he had an infection in his leg. There was talk that he might lose his leg. She hoped not. Splash was an active teenager. Losing a leg would be a hard adjustment for him.

Pearl was on the dragon next to them. She held onto her mother and watched Splash with a worried look on her face. She didn’t want to lose him. She glanced at Rusty when he nudged her from behind. “I’m sorry dad. I can’t help but worry about him.”

“If he’s anything like his fathers, he’s going to be just fine. Deep breaths my sweet girl.” Rusty rubbed Pearl’s back. He knew she was worried about him.

“I can already picture how stubborn your children will be.” Fairy let out a soft chuckle. She fully approved of Splash, was glad that her daughter was happy with him, and showing that she was willing to help him through a hard trial in his life.

“That’s a little scary.” Habanero chuckled at the thought. He was glad his sister was happy with Splash. He was a great troll. He was only teasing.

“Hey now, he’s not scary.” Pearl poked her little brother on the side. She gasped when she lost balance on their pet dragon from letting go, since she only had one arm. She started to fall off, but Rusty caught her with his hair and pulled her back up. “Oh god, that wasn’t smart.” She shuddered at the thought of what could have just happened.

“Be careful Pearl!” Rusty held her and frowned. She had scared him.

The scare distracted them all, and before they had a chance to react, a wingdingle made an appearance and attacked the dragon Faith, Mercy, Ice, Cyprus, Yin, Yang, and Flame were on. It was defending its freshly made nest. Cyprus lost grip of the dragon they were on, and screamed as he fell to the ground.

“Dad!” Faith had tried to grab her dad, but it was too late. He disappeared into the trees below them. She had her dragon fly down. She had a bad feeling Cyprus didn’t survive that fall. They were so high up and she no longer felt his spiritual presence.

Mercy watched for a moment, before burying her face into Ice’s glittery skin. She couldn’t help but sob quietly. She knew there was a near zero percent chance that he was still alive.

Creek cringed and followed his sisters down on his own dragon. He felt the color leave his face when he saw his father’s body. Cyprus clearly didn’t survive the fall. He held Diamond and Ukulele so they didn’t see their grandfather’s battered body. “Look at me babies. Daddy has you.” Tears ran down his cheeks. This accident was awful. His father still had so much life left in him. It wasn’t fair.

The rest of the colony followed them down. Cyprus was quickly covered, with a leaf, before too many of the younger children saw him. They worked together on burying him. They were all quiet. That could have been any of them. The dragons made traveling faster, but not without risk of falling. This risk was still worth it, since they were less likely to encounter predators in the air.

“I’m so sorry, Creek, Faith, and Mercy.” Rainbow gave them each a hug. She was sad for her whole colony. They had lost so much during this trip. It wasn’t fair. 

“I’m sorry too.” Pumpkin looked at his grandfather’s grave. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He may have only known him for three years, but his death still hurt a lot. “Thank you for finding us, and helping us during the rip in the spiritual realm, and everything else after that. You were wise and caring. With your death, Mama Goldie is now our elder. I know she won’t let us down.”

Mama Goldie looked sad. She had been angry at Cyprus the last couple of days, and he hadn’t meant to mate with her forcefully. He had been controlled by Chaz, and she knew that. “I’m sorry Cyprus.” She cried into her hands. She missed Peppy. This journey hadn’t been easy for her either.

The group grieved for a little longer, before leaving again. They couldn’t delay their travel much longer. They needed to find a home very soon.


	16. A Bad Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil and Poppy must make a difficult decision.

A few days later, Delta Dawn pointed to a small mountain in the distance. “That’s it! We’re almost there!” She was happy to see those mountains. She hadn’t been there since Clampers was a baby. She had stopped making bi-yearly summer trips there, because of how cruel and unfair Queen Barb had been about her passing through her territory to get to the safe haven. She had explained to them the reason she didn’t stay there permanently was because her father had founded the place they lived, and she didn’t want to leave it forever.

It took a little while to reach the base of the mountain. One they were on the ground, everyone got to work on making a medical pod first. Splash was their number one priority. The poor teenager had an infection in his broken leg, and had a high fever. While most worked on the medical pod, Branch, Hickory, and Mama Goldie worked together on finding medicinal herbs. They did have medicine, thanks to Delta Dawn and her small colony, but it wasn’t enough to help a larger colony. They needed whatever they could find.

Poppy settled Splash down on a blanket and covered him with a quilt that Satin and Chenille made for him. She ran her hand through his light blue and green two toned hair. The young trolling was very sick from his high fever. She was worried that they might lose him after all. “Hold on there sweet boy. We’re at our new home. You’re going to get better.”

Splash shivered and looked up at Poppy when she babied him. He groaned and shifted a little bit. He rested his hand on her hand. He was scared that he would die. “I love you, mom…”

Crash was watching his brother, by his mom’s dragon, Bubbles. He realized earlier that morning that Splash was very sick. He wasn’t sure what to do. He was suddenly scared that his brother would die, and he had treated him like crap not that long ago. He looked at her quadruplet sisters when they walked over and hugged into him. He frowned and teared up. “I've been a jerk.”

“It’s not too late to fix it.” Sunshine took her brother’s hand and led him over to Splash. She sat down beside her older quadruplet brother and took one of his hands. “I’m rooting for you, Splash.”

“I’m rooting for you too, Splash.” Young Dawn sat down beside Poppy and snuggled up to her. She was worried about her brother too.

“Careful girls. He’s not well, and is still in a lot of pain.” Poppy shifted so that her daughters could have some cuddle time with their brother. She gave Crash a look suggesting that she would be very angry if he did anything foolish. “Be gentle Crash.”

Splash looked wary when Crash came closer. Since the day his brother nudged his leg, he had been tense whenever his brother got close, even though Crash had stopped yelling at him.

Crash settled down by Splash’s side and gave him a hug. “If I knew you would get this sick, I would have never treated you like I did. I’m so sorry.” Tears ran down his checks as he cuddled with his identical twin. He could feel the heat coming off of Splash. He was even sicker than he thought, and that scared him.

Splash had a surprised look on his face when Crash cuddled with him. He put his arms around him and began to cry. “If I die, you have got to take care of our pod sisters for me. I’m so scared.”

“I will, big brother.” Crash sniffled and rubbed his face of tears. He never meant to be so mean. He was just jealous of his brother. Splash was a sweetheart, and was praised for it. He didn’t understand and thought it was unfair. He was the feisty one of the quadruplets, like his daddy Basil, and often got in trouble for it. He rarely got the same praise.

“Alright son, it’s time.” Basil walked over and picked Splash up. He carried him into the new medical pod and gently set him down on a makeshift bed. He began bathing him for his surgery.

Poppy followed Basil into the medical pod, and helped him clean Splash up. Once their son was clean, she helped dry him. “It’s going to be OK my brave boy.” She kissed his forehead, before looking at Branch, Symphony, and Mama Goldie. Branch and Mama Goldie had returned and were all set to give him the surgery he needed. “I trust you three to help him.”

“We will Poppy. Do I have permission to remove his leg, if it’ll save his life?” Mama Goldie looked between Poppy and Basil. She wanted permission from them both. She remembered that Poppy didn’t want Splash to lose his leg.

“If it saves his life, please do.” Basil looked sad. He didn’t want Splash to lose his leg, but his leg was bad. He needed his son safe.

“Only if absolutely necessary.” Poppy didn’t like it, but she knew his leg was infected and likely would never be the same. She wanted her boy to live a normal life.

Branch nodded, and gave Splash a sedative. He waited until the teenager was asleep, before disinfecting his broken leg for surgery.

While Branch, Symphony, and Mama Goldie worked on Splash’s leg, Poppy and Basil went outside. They put full trust in their family. They were going to help make flower pods and homes while they waited, as a distraction.

As the sun began to set, Mama Goldie came out of the medical pod. She had Splash’s right leg wrapped up in a blanket. She found Poppy and sighed heavily. “We couldn’t save it. I’m very sorry Poppy. We’re done with the surgery. He’s going to be OK with antibiotics and time. He’s a tough boy. This infection was bad. He lost his leg up to his hip. It’s going to take some time for him to recover from losing it, but he should be in less pain now.”

“Thank you, Mama Goldie.” Poppy gave Mama Goldie a hug. “You’re the best doctor. I’ll take care of his leg.” She took Splash’s leg and left to go bury it. She was glad they got to this new camp. It sounded like they could have easily lost Splash. They got to their new home just in time. She was incredibly grateful.


	17. Learning To Walk Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Splash takes his first steps after surgery.

The following morning, after having all night to sleep off the sedatives, Splash was ready to try standing up. He knew it wasn’t going to be the same without his right leg, but he wasn’t scared anymore. He was just glad that he survived and would get better. He had started to think he wasn’t going to make it. “Mom? Can I have help over to the toilet?” He grabbed the crutches that Branch had made for him. He was going to have to use them or a wheelchair until a prosthetic was made for him.

“Of course, son.” Poppy stood up and walked with him to the toilet. She made sure he was settled on the toilet and then gave him privacy. He hadn’t gotten much privacy all week, so she was sure he would appreciate her not hovering over him while he went to the bathroom this time.

Sitting on the toilet was painful and odd, but Splash managed to go without too many problems. He had a feeling recovery was going to be slow and hard, but he was willing to try. He had to, for his Pearl. Once he was done and clean, he called for Poppy to come back in. He slowly made his way back to his bed. He sat down and smiled up at Poppy. “I feel a lot better today.”

“I’m glad you do.” Poppy helped him get his leg onto the bed and looked up when Dill came rushing into the medical pod with River in his arms. “What happened?!”

River was calm as can be, and had a newborn baby crying in her arms. She had quietly given birth to a baby boy, while Dill was working on making her a bed. “I had the baby a little early.”

The newborn was green glitter, with white hair. He was three weeks early, but was OK.

“She didn’t tell me she was in labor! I was busy and all the sudden I heard her yelp, a grunt, and baby cires. She scared me!” Dill settled River in a bed and looked around the medical pod. “Where is everyone?!” He wanted River checked over. He was so scared that her and the baby would be in trouble, even though she was just fine and the baby was crying. Holly and Star had forever left a scar in his heart, that was never going to completely heal. He was so scared he would lose another mate. He wouldn’t survive it a second time.

Splash watched from his bed. He smiled when he saw the tiny bean. He loved his little nieces and nephews. He looked forward to baby snuggles.

“You’re quite early, but he is crying, so that’s a good sign. I was hoping he would wait until we at least settled.” Poppy walked over and smiled at her new grandbaby. She knew River had been stressed out, but she wasn’t as far along as Rainbow had been. She was so worried the baby would arrive before they got to their new home. “Everyone is busy this morning Dill. They’re not that far away though. River looks just fine, and the baby looks healthy. No need to worry. I’ll go call Branch and he can check to make sure he’s OK.” She poked her head outside. “Branch! River had her baby!”

“I’m coming. I heard it.” Branch wasn’t far. He came in and washed his hands, before checking the newborn. He put the tiny baby in a diaper, and swaddled him, before settling him into his mama’s arms. “Good job, River. Looks like you did well all on your own. He should stay here with you for a couple of days, since he was early, to make sure he is breathing and eating OK.”

“I keep telling Dill he’s OK.” River smiled at Branch when he helped her. “He’s not listening, not that that’s a surprise.” She set her baby up to nurse and looked up at her nervous mate. “How about Pine for his name?”

Dill slowly relaxed and nodded when she inquired about his name. “Sounds good.” He gave his wife a kiss, and then crawled into bed with her and snuggled. He was still shaking with nerves.

“A perfect name for a handsome boy.” Poppy picked him up when he was done nursing. She burped him, and then carried him over to Splash. “You’ve got a new nephew, Splash.” She promptly put Pine in his arms, knowing he loved to cuddle with the babies.

“He's a cutie, mom.” Splash snuggled with his newborn nephew. “I’m uncle Splash.”

“How are you feeling Splash?” Branch made sure River was OK, and then covered her up so she wouldn’t get cold.

“I’m doing OK uncle Branch. I’m in pain, but I don’t feel as sick as I did yesterday.” Splash rubbed Pine’s back. He smiled when Dill came over. “He looks a lot like you, big brother.”

“I’m glad you’re doing better, Splash.” Dill gave his little brother a hug. He was mindful of his newborn son. He had been very worried about Splash, but River had been his primary focus during their travels, and for good reason.

“It won’t be much longer, and all of you will be out, running around, dancing, playing, and singing again.” Poppy smiled at them and gave them each a hug. “Get some rest. It’s going to be alright.” She was glad her Splash was feeling better, and that Dill didn’t faint this time. At least, she didn’t think he did. River didn’t mention it, and Dill appeared uninjured. She couldn’t wait to watch for more improvements. Things were finally starting to look up again.


	18. Unplanned Pregnancies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The village finds out they’ve got to prepare for a baby boom.

It took a month for the village to settle and start a new routine. Several of them had started gardens and were making daily trips to go foraging. The area was plentiful, and rich with fruits, vegetables, fish, and other creatures to help keep their bellies full. The spring gave them fresh drinking water, which was also a blessing. No one was more grateful then Basil. He was three months pregnant with his last baby with Stream. He had been worried he would lose the baby due to the stress of their unexpected and unplanned trip, but the little one had stayed where it needed to be to grow. A lot of that, he knew was because of Rainbow. He felt blessed to have a wonderful and caring family. He knew he wasn’t the only one pregnant either. He had noticed the last couple of weeks that he had been noticing a lot of tiny spirits around the village. Just like every other spiritual troll, he refrained from telling anyone they were pregnant right away. Especially this time. He knew several of these pregnancies were not planned, and some of them were due to rape.

Splash was one of the first ones up that morning. He didn’t feel good and hadn’t felt good all night. He got up off his bed and shifted his crutches under his shoulders, before making his way for the bathroom. He was just outside the door when he began losing the water, he had drunk an hour earlier onto the carpet outside the bathroom. He had tears in his eyes. He was scared that he would be in trouble and had a feeling he knew why he was sick. He had a lot of good reasons to be scared. He was young, this was forced on him, he didn’t make it to the toilet, and he had taken powerful medications during early pregnancy. He wasn’t sure what to do or think.

Poppy heard her son getting sick, and quickly got out of bed. She rushed to his aid and cringed when she saw that he hadn’t made it to the toilet. “It’s OK.” She grabbed a towel and put it over the puddle. She gagged as she led him into the bathroom. She wasn’t feeling good herself. She hovered over the toilet and began to get sick. She had a feeling she was pregnant, even though she had started taking contraceptives years earlier. Basil had mated with her during the forced orgy, after he had been done ‘painting’ with his stick and rock. 

“I’m sorry mom.” Splash began cleaning up at the sink. He frowned when she began getting sick into the toilet. “You’re pregnant mom.” He wasn’t going to hide it from her any longer. He already knew. “A lot of us are pregnant.”

“I don’t feel good.” Sunshine came into the bathroom and whimpered as she waited her turn at the toilet. When she couldn’t wait any longer, she used the trash can.

“Oh boy, we’re in a lot of trouble.” Crash peeked into the bathroom. He felt OK, but knew he was pregnant. Dawn had told him a couple of days earlier. Dawn was the only one of the quadruplets that wasn’t pregnant, even though she had been mated with too.

“Yeah Crash, you’re in big trouble.” Splash gave him a playful smile, before poking him with one of his crutches. His relationship with his brother had improved dramatically.

Basil walked over to Crash and Splash and gave them a look, before yawning and rubbing his eyes. He was still sleepy. “Morning sickness have everyone up early?”

“Yes, Basil. Let’s get everyone checked on at the medical pod. We all should have extra nutrients if we are pregnant. Come on young ones.” Poppy cleaned her face and began leading their teenagers out the door.

Basil wasn’t far behind them. He hoped that his teenagers would be OK. He was very worried about them. He frowned when he realized several families were gathered at the medical pod. “Branch and Mama Goldie are busy this morning.”

Creek was among them. He had just found out that he was pregnant. He knew Delta Dawn was too. He was flushed red with anger. He knew Branch couldn’t help what happened, but he was still frustrated. Moonlight and Gem were also pregnant and that had him extra livid. He pointed at his best friend and sneered. “If you didn’t have so many sexual desires with me, this wouldn’t have happened, Branch!”

Branch’s eye twitched. “If I recall right, you were mating right along with me Creek. Don’t you snap at me. You’re not the only one who had an unplanned pregnancy! Besides, you seemed to enjoy it!” He stuck out his tongue and laughed when Creek throw a toy at him. He caught it and threw it right back at him. He was pregnant too but didn’t dare tell Creek while he was a hot, angry mess.

Rainbow looked around and frowned. She knew they were frustrated. She was frustrated too. She had only a week to heal from having Ashlynn before Pumpkin got her pregnant again. She had wanted to rest, before having another baby, but she wasn’t getting a break for a while. Pumpkin was also pregnant. Dickory had gotten him pregnant. “Alright, that’s enough. No need for everyone to get angry. We all now what Chaz did, and we have no choice but to deal with the repercussions of his actions. Blaming each other and harassing each other won’t change what was done. We need to prepare for a baby boom. There are so many of us that ended up pregnant. We need to be prepared this fall for a lot of births, and make sure we have enough food to get through the winter. I want everyone to breathe and turn to your families. Give them some love, and make sure you take good care of your teenagers. They’re at the highest risk during this time. They need our support.”

Zinfandel started to cry into his hands. He was scared that Splash would be angry. Especially since he thought he was Branch’s son. He thought they were cousin’s by blood. He was pregnant, with Splash’s baby.

Gem was also crying. The fourteen-year-old was also pregnant, and had had a bad night, full of nightmares and provisions. She hugged into Tsunami, who had fathered her pregnancy. She was shaking with worry. She knew something sad was going to happen soon, and there was nothing she could do about it. It scared her. Her emotions were all over the place, and it wasn’t helped by Creek’s temper. She had been spending more time with him, now that she was older, but he yelled at her the night before, for becoming pregnant so young and with Tsunami, who Creek knew was her future mate. She had had no control over it, and neither did Tsunami. She had thought of moving back in with Rusty, but she didn’t want to be a burden to her uncle. She also wanted to be with her sister, Moonlight, knowing she was also pregnant.

“Aww kids, it’s going to be OK.” Poppy pulled Zinfandel and Gem into a hug. She held them and closed her eyes. “We’re all going to get through this as a team. I don’t want you to worry.” She had a feeling several of the kids wanted to cry, just like Zinfandel and Gem. She hoped that their families gave them the support they needed during this difficult time.


	19. Priceless Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creek takes out his anger on the wrong teenager.

Not long after everyone left the medical pod, Creek walked over to Gem and Tsunami. He pried them apart. “You’re grounded Gem! You’ve been spending way too much time with Tsunami. As far as I know, you got pregnant before the volcano exploded. You know better! Go home! Now!”

Gem had a surprised look on her face. She backed away and shook her head. “I don’t want to go home right now, dad.” She sniffled and rubbed her face of tears. “I want to be with Tsunami. I’m scared! I didn’t mate with him before Chaz forced us to! I would never go against my family!” She raised her voice a little bit, because she was upset and a little angry that he was accusing her of something she didn’t do.

“I think you did, and you’re covering this up!” Creek put his hands on his hips. He couldn’t tell if she was lying or not, because of her ability. “You two spend an awful lot of time together! Stop lying young lady!” He was angry that she raised her voice. “Don’t you sass me!” He was worried that she would turn out like Indigo, even though she never did anything bad. He was mistaking her anger with something horrible.

Tsunami flushed with anger, and got between Creek and Gem. He had had enough of Creek bullying Gem in front of him. He was protective of her. “We didn’t mate before Chaz forced us to, and even if we did, we’re going to be responsible. Now back off and stop harassing her. She had a bad night!”

“Leave me alone dad!” Gem snapped. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“You’re not my daughter, and you’re acting a lot like your real father all the sudden! You better not do anything stupid!” Creek sneered. He was starting to regret forming a relationship with her. Her teenage attitude scared him.

Tsunami sneered and backed away with Gem right behind him. “Let’s go Gem. Rusty won’t treat you like this.”

“Real dad?” Gem looked surprised all the sudden. She had never heard the story of how she was conceived, or why she was raised by Rusty. She had only recently moved in with Creek to spend more time with her sisters. She turned and left to go. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she went to seek comfort from her aunt and uncle. Her feelings were hurt.

Creek watched her go, and then realized what he said. He groaned and went to go home, so he could talk to Delta Dawn and comfort Moonlight. He had to cool down, before he did anything else to hurt Gem or anyone else. He was in a horrible mood and wished he held his tongue.

“I didn’t know Creek wasn’t your dad. I’m so sorry Gem.” Tsunami walked with her. He knew some of the village had mixed children from rape, accidents, or surrogacy. He was born by surrogacy, but he didn’t know how Gem came to be, now. He hoped it wasn’t by rape, but he now suspected it. Especially after Creek’s reaction to Gem defending herself.

Gem waited until Creek was out of sight, before turning to Tsunami and balling. “I thought he loved me!” She was shaking upset. “I don’t know why he’s being like that. I don’t understand.” She hugged into Tsunami and hiccuped. She was shaken by Creek’s words. She thought he just disowned her. Even if she wasn’t biologically his, she had always seen him as her daddy. Being raised by Rusty always confused her, but now she was extra confused.

“Come on, Gem. Let’s go visit Rusty and Fairy.” Tsunami picked up his frightened mate and carried her to Rusty and Fairy’s new home. He knocked on the door when he got there.

Rusty answered the door and frowned when he saw that Gem was upset. He took her from Tsunami and held her. “What’s wrong, cupcake? Are you pregnant?” He looked very worried. He hoped not. She was so young and so small. If she was pregnant, she was going to need to be watched closely.

“I’m pregnant uncle, Rusty. I’m sorry...” Gem was worried that he would be mad at her too. She sniffled and began to explain to Rusty what happened with Creek. She cuddled into him. She loved her uncle Rusty.

Tsunami rubbed Gem’s back and frowned. “His words hurt a lot.”

Rusty let Tsunami in, and led him to the couch. He sat down with Gem and cuddled with her. “Guy Diamond was raped by a troll by the name of Indigo. He had hurt several trolls, including me. He concieved some children as a result. Creek and Guy Diamond didn’t raise you, because of your ability, and the fact that you were forced upon Guy Diamond. They realized their mistake too late to raise you without making you confused and upset, so I raised you instead, with Fairy and our family. I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, and how you came to be doesn’t change that. I’ll talk to Creek. It’s going to be OK sweetheart.” He held Gem closely and rubbed her back. He was worried about her.

Gem held onto her uncle and cried hard. She wasn’t sure how to take this news. She had had an overwhelming day already, and it was still early. She didn’t want to let Rusty go. He was one of only a few she fully trusted. So many of the spiritual trolls treated her differently, because of her lack of spirit and aura. She had a feeling her prophecies scared them too. She didn’t mean to scare others. She was only trying to help. She had always been that way. “I want to move back in with you. Please?”

“You can move in here if you like. Jewel will be happy to have you back. She misses you.” Rusty dried her face of tears. He wasn’t going to let her go until she calmed down. He had a feeling tensions were going to be high for a little while. He hoped Creek would settle down and treat Gem like she deserved to be treated. She was a good girl and was very sweet. She didn’t deserve the discrimination that was handed to her.


	20. Creek Apologizes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creek talks to his family and tells Gem that he is sorry.

It took a couple of hours for Rusty to calm Gem down enough that he felt comfortable leaving her for a little bit. He was going to make sure she had good company though, so he carried her over to Ice and Mercy’s home. Tsunami had been called home to help Sky and Peridot, so he was no longer with them. Jewel was over there to play with Yin and Yang. Once he was at their door, he gave it a knock.

Mercy answered the door and frowned when she saw an exhausted, upset Gem in Rusty’s arms. “What happened? Is she alright?” She rubbed Gem’s glittery back. She could see that Gem had been crying for hours.

“You’re not my aunt.” Gem burst into tears and began to sob again. It hurt her to know she wasn’t biologically related to the trolls she thought were her family.

“Creek dropped a massive bomb on her. Told her she was acting like her other father and practically disowned her because he thought she was lying about how her pregnancy came to be. I need to go talk to him.” Rusty dried Gem’s tears, before setting her down. “I won’t be long Gem. It’s going to be OK.”

Mercy had a shocked look on her face. She immediately took Gem into her arms and held her. “You’re my niece, and that will never change. I love you Gem. Let’s go talk to Creek.” She carried Gem out the door and headed straight for Creek and Delta Dawn’s new home. She was livid.

Gem started to cry harder when Rusty set her down. She snuggled right into Mercy when she held her and carried her. She was frightened and very upset. She was glad that Mercy still saw her as family.

Faith spotted Mercy and ran over to them when she saw Mercy’s angry aura. “What’s going on?!”

“Mercy? I wasn’t going to have her watch and listen as I gave Creek an ear full.” Rusty followed her. He looked concerned. He hoped that Gem wouldn’t get more upset. She was hurting enough. He was very protective of her. He explained to Mercy and Faith what had just happened.

“He needs to apologize, now!” Mercy got to Creek’s door and knocked on it.

Faith barged right in and went over to Creek. She grabbed him and had him stand up. “Would you like to explain to us, why you snapped at Gem and accused her of something we all know she wouldn’t do?! She’s so upset that she’s shaking!” She smacked him upside the head. She was angry.

Creek yelped and began rubbing the back of his head. “I was angry because she spends a lot of time with Tsunami. She could have easily mated with him before the volcanic eruption. I admit I took it too far.” 

Delta Dawn got up off the couch and pulled Faith off of Creek. “Hey! Don’t smack him like that! He’s pregnant!” She was flushed with anger because of the sudden attack. “I want an explanation, now!”

Rusty began explaining what Gem and Tsunami told him. He made sure to hold Gem’s hand, so she knew he was there. “You have no right to tell her the truth the way you did. I’m packing up her things and moving her back in with Fairy and I.” He took Gem into his arms and went to Gem’s room to help her pack up what few belongs she had made, received, and found the last month. It wasn’t much, since they were all still adjusting to their new home.

Gem sniffled and looked away from Creek. She was shaken and nervous. Once in her room and settled on the ground, she slammed the door shut and locked it, before helping Rusty pack her belongings.

“That was mean Creek. I know you’re wary of her, because of her lack of aura and spiritual ability, but you had no right to treat her the way you did.” Mercy’s arms were crossed, and her eyebrows were fused. She wasn’t letting him get away with this.

Faith was flushed red. She glared at her brother. “You know you’re not the only one who is frustrated by this situation and ended up pregnant! At least you have a mate! I don’t! I’m pregnant too Creek, and I don’t have anyone to help me with it. Do not make Gem’s ability into something it’s not, just because you’re in a pissy ass mood!” She turned to Delta Dawn and glared at her. “Control your animal, or he’ll have more than a headache!”

Delta Dawn looked surprised. She turned to Creek and glared at him. “You disowned your daughter because you assumed she went behind your back? What were you thinking Creek? She’s almost fifteen years old and is pregnant. She needs your support and love. You better go apologize to her, now!” Now that she knew what was going on, she was more understanding. Clampers was her niece, but she always looked at her as if she a daughter. She would never disown her for something she had no control over.

Creek had a guilty look on his face. “I know I made a mistake.” He rubbed his head as he walked over to Gem’s bedroom. He tried to open it, but found it locked. He wasn’t surprised, but wished he could talk to her face to face. “Gem? I’m very sorry for what I told you. I wasn’t thinking right. I do love you, very much. I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but please understand that I’m scared for you sweetheart. I snapped at you because I’m scared for you and your sisters, and all your friends. You’re so young, and I didn’t handle all the bad news today well. I hope your pregnancy goes well. Please make sure you eat well, take your vitamins, and get enough rest. I hope we can talk again soon.” He walked over to the couch and sat down. He put his face into his hands and began to cry. He was having a bad day too and didn’t mean to hurt Gem.

Gem listened to him, and then peeked out of her bedroom when she heard him walk away. She watched him for a moment, before closing the door again. She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet, but she heard him and was sure she understood now. She sighed and looked over at Rusty. “I still think I should move back in with you. It’ll be better this way.”

“I agree Gem. I want to keep an eye on you anyway. Your health, and the health of your baby is my number one priority right now. I’m proud that you’re protecting yourself and your unborn pod.” Rusty walked over to her and gave her a hug. He knew she was scared and didn’t blame her for wanting to move in with him.

“That’s much better.” Mercy sat down beside Creek and hugged him. She knew he was having a bad day too. Most of them were. She wasn’t pregnant, but Ice, Faith, and several others were having unplanned pregnancies. They were all going to be busy soon.

“Now, start treating her the way she deserves to be treated.” Faith nudged him to scoot over, and then sat by him and comforted him too. “We’re all having a bad day. We just need to breathe and get through it. It’s not the end of the world.”

“I agree with Faith. It’s not the end of the world. I love you Creek. Take deep breaths daddy. I still love you. I’m very sure we all still love you.” Delta Dawn took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was going to be rough for a little while, but she had gotten to know them all the last month and a half, and she was confident that they would all get through this as a team.


	21. Tiny Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainbow experiences a heartbreaking tragedy.

For the next two months, everyone adjusted to the news that several babies were on their way. Rainbow ended up going on bedrest because she was bleeding. Her body was rejecting her pregnancy, which scared her. She had made several trips to the spirit realm to talk to the spirits, and to plea for the life of her unborn pod. It was to no avail and they had reminded her of their warning that she couldn’t bring Chrysanthemum back because they knew she would lose this pod. They did not want her to lose her again. In the early morning hours, she was up on the toilet, in labor with her third biological child. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought of how she was going to tell Pumpkin. He was pregnant, and she didn’t want to stress him out, but he was going to find out soon, regardless of how she approached him. When she was between contractions, she walked to the bedroom and snuggled up to her mate. “Pumpkin?” She chocked out a sob. She was scared and very upset.

Pumpkin woke up and yawned. “You’re up early.” He frowned when he realized she was in distress. “What’s wrong mama?!” He had a bad feeling he knew what was wrong, but he wanted to be wrong. He knew she was on bedrest, and he was very worried about their baby.

“I’m losing the baby.” Rainbow whispered. She sniffled and continued to cry as she held him closely. She knew her baby wouldn’t survive. She was less then three and a half months along. She wished she could have held the baby in another month and a half, so it had a chance.

“Let’s get you to the medical pod. Maybe they can stop it.” Pumpkin got up and began getting dressed. He had a hopeful look on his face.

“My birthing waters came out. It’s too late.” Rainbow hiccupped and rubbed her face of tears. “I want to have the baby here unless I have complications. I don’t want to be swarmed right now. I just want you.”

“Alright mama.” Pumpkin helped her get comfortable and took her hand. He was expecting twins, and this scared him. He hoped he didn’t lose his babies too, because of the stress. It hurt enough knowing they were going to lose Rainbow’s little one. “I’m right here. I love you.”

“I love you too…” Rainbow chocked out a sob and snuggled with him. Her heart was crushed, even though the spirits had warned her that she had become pregnant far too soon after having Ashlynn, and that the baby had complications. This baby was hers and she loved it already.

It took a few hours, before Rainbow reached down and pushed the baby right into her hands. She put the tiny trolling onto a blanket and cleaned him. He was so small, that he fit on the palm of her hand. “I’m so sorry son.” She sniffled and checked him over. She saw why the spirits told her no. He had congenital problems. He wouldn’t have survived regardless of what was done. “His name is Spirit.” She sniffled and covered him up. She held him to her chest and cried hard.

Pumpkin cried with her and snuggled with her. “He’s beautiful. I’m so sorry my love.” He reached over and put his hand on her hand as she snuggled with her baby.

Rainbow spent an hour with her miscarried boy, before getting up and getting dressed. “Let’s get ready to bury him. Chrysanthemum will take care of him, until we’re ready to bring them both back. Only his spirit can come back. We’re going to have to figure out how.” She sniffled and gently put Spirit into a wooden box that she had made for pebbles and gems. It was small enough to make a suitable casket for her tiny bean.

Pumpkin got ready as well, and led Pumpkin Junior, Daisy, Sunflower, and Marigold out the door. He headed for Poppy and Basil’s home. Once there, he walked in and looked for Poppy. When he found her, he asked her to watch the kids. He explained that Rainbow had lost her baby. He gently took Ashlynn out of his hair and gave her to Poppy. His face was wet with tears. He was devastated.

“I’m so sorry son.” Poppy gave him a gentle hug. She knew how hard it was to lose a baby. “I’ll watch them and get ready. We’ll give him a funeral to say goodbye.” She went to wake Basil and get ready. 

A couple of hours later, everyone gathered to say goodbye to the tiny prince. Rainbow was snuggled up to Poppy, crying hard. Even though she knew it was coming, it hurt a lot. She was going to miss the light wriggles and kicks that he gave her the last few weeks. She didn’t want to let him go.

“I’m so sorry Rainbow.” Gem joined in the snuggles. She knew it was going to happen and hated that she knew months before it happened. She had refrained from telling anyone because she knew it would be hard enough. She had her hand on her baby bump. This scared her too, even though she had visions of her child, healthy and strong.

Pumpkin Junior didn’t understand and was crying hard. He demanded he help get his brother and sister back, even though he was only three years old and was too young to help his parents during their adventures to the spirit realm. He wanted to make his parents happy again, and he missed Chrysanthemum. He didn’t understand that he was going to have to wait, if they were going to return safely. He was pitching a fit, but no one blamed him or corrected him. He was still a toddler, and they all felt he had a right to mourn too.

A silence came over them all. They hoped the rest of the unborn pods made it to term and were healthy. This hurt, especially since it was a baby from the royal couple. They hoped with time, Rainbow and Pumpkin could heal and have another little one, that could help fill the void that they certainly felt during this difficult time.


	22. A Precious Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil tries his hardest to ease his eldest’s daughter’s broken heart.

Basil and Poppy had Rainbow and Pumpkin move into their flower pod shortly after Spirit’s funeral, so that they were not alone while they grieved the loss of their baby. Poppy wanted to make sure they got what they needed and helped them out with their older children. They were all gray from the grief of losing little Spirit, but there was hope still within Pumpkin. They hoped that his twins would help them during this difficult time.

A month and one week passed by without any more drama. As evening came to an end, Basil was trying hard to force labor. He was a week overdue and decided that his stubborn baby needed to come out. He had exercised, eaten spicy foods, drank green tea, and had rough sex with Poppy, but nothing was doing it for the miserable father. He was tired as he went to take a bath. He hoped the water would help him. He settled down in the water and cringed when he suddenly had an intense contraction. “Fuck! It’s about time!” He breathed through the contraction and closed his blind eyes. “Stubborn squirt…”

Poppy came rushing in and sighed in relief when she saw that he was alright. She grabbed his towel and went to drain the tub. She gave him a confused look when he stopped her from unplugging the tub. “You’re in labor, aren’t you?”

“I think so, but I want to stay in here a little longer. The water feels nice, and you know labor lasts for hours.” Basil rested his head back on the rim of the tub and cringed during the next contraction.

“Yes, it can be, but this is your third pregnancy. The baby might come quickly.” Poppy smiled softly. She wanted her mate safe. It had been hard for them both after losing Smidge and Stream. She didn’t want to lose Basil too. Especially since the baby was overdue. “The baby might be too big, and you had surgery last time. Mama Goldie said it would be safer for you to have the baby at the medical pod.”

“Alright, fine.” Basil grumbled before standing up. He groaned and held the rim of the tub during the next contraction. He waited for it to end, before stepping out and drying off. He put his night shorts on and headed towards the door. It was summer, so he didn’t worry about putting anything else on. He suddenly began moving faster when he felt the urge to push. Poppy was right, this one was in a hurry to come now that it was ready to emerge.

Rainbow saw her father head out the door, so she followed him. She joined his side and rubbed his back when he stopped. “I’m right here dad. I love you.”

Poppy noticed the urgency and frowned when he stopped. She had a blanket in her hair, for after the baby was born. She had a feeling she might be drying the baby with it. “Are you going to make it?”

“No…” Basil breathed hard and pushed himself to go a little further. He stopped by the medical pod door and leaned on the frame. He hollered in pain as he pulled his night shorts down. He squat and whimpered when his baby’s head emerged. He bared down to push. “It’s a big baby! God damn it!!!” He hollered in pain. This was not an easy delivery for him. He was glad Poppy convinced him to get closer to the medical pod at least.

Mama Goldie was in the medical pod with Symphony that night. She came out and helped Basil with his delivery. She caught a little girl as she came out. She gently gave her to Basil, and then helped him towards a bed. “You did a good job Basil. Hello, little princess.” She helped Basil into a bed and checked him for tears. He had decent sized one, that she got to work on fixing. “I’m glad you got here when you did. This tear is pretty bad.”

Basil’s last baby with Stream was periwinkle in color, with royal blue hair. She began to cry in her daddy’s arms. She was healthy and loud.

Rainbow’s eyes were wide and full of worry. “Does he need blood? I’ll donate!”

“I don’t think so. He should be OK.” Mama Goldie got the bleeding under control and worked on stitching Basil the rest of the way.

Symphony hurried over and helped Mama Goldie. She looked nervous. Basil could have bled out. She was glad he was where he needed to be for help. She shot a glare at him, even though she knew he couldn’t see it.

“Told you…” Poppy smiled softly, before working on cleaning the newborn. “She’s so big and so pretty. You did a good job.” She gave him a quick kiss, before helping Basil set the newborn up to nurse.

“You were hard to push out baby cakes.” Basil inspected his youngest and ignored the sting of the stitches. “You’re a big girl.” He rubbed her cheek as she nursed. He teared up, wishing Stream was there to hold his baby. He missed him very much. Once she was done nursing, he pulled Rainbow closer, and promptly put his newborn daughter into Rainbow’s arms. “I know she won’t replace Spirit, but I would rather know my sweet Rainbow is happy and raise her as a grandchild, then continue to loathe the fact that you’re mourning.”

Rainbow chocked out a sob and held her baby sister. “That’s very sweet of you dad, but I can’t take her. She’s beautiful, but she belongs with her mama and papa. I’d love to cuddle with her frequently, but she needs to be with you. I rather be her big sister, instead of mama.” She ran her hand through her sister’s hair. “You’re so pretty.” She set her sister up to burp. She loved her already and felt a special bond.

“That’s very sweet of you Basil.” Poppy kissed her mate’s forehead and smiled. She was so proud of him.

Mama Goldie and Symphony finished stitching Basil closed. They gave the family a chance to bond but watched from close by.

“Aww, come on. I’m going to be so busy helping your siblings with their babies soon.” Basil complained, before yelping when Poppy gave him a light punch in the arm. “I was kidding!” He rubbed his arm and sighed. “Alright, alright, if you insist. I want my Rainbow happy.” He smiled softly. He was very protective of his family. He would do whatever it takes to help any of them out. “Her name is Oceana. After her father. I miss him.” He sniffled and rubbed his face of tears. 

“I insist dad. I want her to be my baby sister.” Rainbow snuggled with Oceana. She was a proud big sister.

“I miss him too. I love her name. It’s a wise choice.” Poppy crawled into the medical pod bed with Basil and spooned into him. She held him as he grieved their lost mate. It wasn’t going to be the same without Stream, but they got one last precious gift from him. They were going to treasure her for the rest of their lives.


	23. Kicked Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gem has a difficult time during the birth of her baby.

For the next month, the medical pod made preparations for a large population boom. Gem was the first of the trollings to go into labor. Rusty carried the scared mama towards the medical pod. He had a worried look on his face. She had lost some weight during her pregnancy and was weak. They were struggling to keep her blood sugars stable. Labor could prove to be hard for her. He gently set her down on a bed when he arrived. “Are you sure you don’t want a cesarean section? It’ll be safer for you.”

“It’ll take a couple of months to recover from that sort of surgery. I rather risk a tear and exhaustion. I’m going to be OK dad. I’ll be tired, but I’ll recover much faster.” Gem whimpered during a contraction. “Can you please go get Tsunami and his family?” She wanted her mate.  
“Of course cupcake.” Rusty gave her a light kiss on her cheek, before leaving to get her mate and his family. It took a little bit, but he came back with Tsunami, Rhapsody, Dusty, Sky, and Peridot in tow. He sat down by Gem’s bedside and took her hand. “Don’t forget to breathe, little mama.”

Tsunami looked nervous. He crawled into bed with Gem and snuggled with her. He held her other hand and whispered that he loved her and was sorry that she was in pain. He put his free hand on his own belly. He was also pregnant, but didn’t look it. His baby appeared to be dwarf sized, like Dickory. It was going to be Dickory’s baby. He was in the middle of a contraction, but didn’t say a word.

Fairy walked over and crawled onto the bed. Mama Goldie and her were the only doctors that hadn’t become pregnant. They had been alternating to make sure someone who wasn’t pregnant was always on duty. She checked Gem and smiled up at her. “It won’t be much longer sweetheart. You’re doing a good job.” She settled down by Gem’s back and rubbed it gently. She helped raise her, and was close to the youngster. She wanted her as comfortable as possible.

Creek came in not long after. He had seen Rusty lead Tsunami towards the medical pod. He had a feeling Gem was in labor. He wanted to make sure she endured it safely. He walked over and smiled at her. “Is the baby coming?”

“Yes, it is, but you’re not allowed in here while she’s in labor!” Tsunami snapped angrily. He got up and got between Gem and Creek. He felt a strong urge to protect his mate and unborn babies. Creek had distanced himself since Gem had moved back in with Rusty. He didn’t trust him at all.

“Don’t yell at me! I want to be in here, just like all the rest of the grandparents!” Creek suddenly snapped back. He wasn’t happy that Tsunami was crabby. He had given Gem a lot of space, knowing she had a rough pregnancy. He wanted to be supportive. Especially knowing this was Guy Diamond’s grandbaby.

“Get out!” Tsunami growled and pointed towards the door. He ignored the intense pain in his belly. He was in labor too.

“Stop it! I’m having a baby here! Get out of the medical pod until you two can get along! I’m in a lot of pain!” Gem snapped angrily. She put her head back and sobbed during the next contraction. She was in no mood to listen to them fight.

“You heard her. Out, both of you!” Rhapsody escorted his own son out the door. He nudged Creek out too. He was not amused. Gem didn’t need the stress while she was in labor. He slammed the door shut and locked it behind himself, so they wouldn’t try to come back in.

Creek looked livid when he got kicked out. He turned to Tsunami and pointed at him. “This is your fault! I didn’t provoke this fight!” He groaned when he felt one of his twins kick him in the ribs.

“You did provoke this fight when you disowned her!” Tsunami glared at Creek. “Leave me alone!”

“You’re being a brat!” Creek yelped when his baby kicked him in the ribs again. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop baby.” He groaned and frowned when the second twin kicked him in the bladder. He held himself and hurried home. He needed the toilet, urgently. He flushed red when he realized he wasn’t making it home. He left a stream of urine on the ground as he rushed home as fast as his legs would allow.

Tsunami watched him retreat, and couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Serves you right!” He winced when he felt fluid run down his legs. He had a feeling his waters just broke. He turned to the door and knocked on it. “Can I please come back in?” He whimpered when no one answered the door. He knocked again, a little louder.

Inside the medical pod, Gem was in the middle of pushing, so all focus was on her. She was feeling faint as she pushed for her newborn. She got him out and watched as Fairy placed him on her chest. She was lucky to not experience any tears.

The premature newborn was a mix of dark blue, dark purple, green, light blue, and splash of light pink. His hair was royal blue with a pink hair tip. He was dwarf sized and weak from being premature. Fairy was struggling to get him to breathe.

Gem had a panicked look on her face. “Come on son, I need you to breathe.” She helped rub him. She sighed in relief when he began to let out cries. “Good boy…” She breathed hard and rested her head back. Her blood sugar was low. “I’m so dizzy.”

“It’ll fade. Here, have a drink of juice.” Rusty helped her drink some juice, and gave her a snack. “You’re so brave.”

“He’s got the family’s rainbow colorings.” Rhapsody smiled at Gem and reached over to rub his tiny grandson’s back. This baby was his first grandchild. He shot a glare at the door when he heard Tsunami knock again. “Someone is being stubborn.”

“They’ll have to wait a minute. The newborn is our priority right now.” Sky watched on and smiled. He was a proud grandpa.

“He seems insistent. Too bad he threw a tantrum, or he could have watched the birth.” Dusty sighed and shook his head.

“How long are you going to keep them out?” Peridot asked curiously.

“For as long as Gem wants him out.” Fairy helped set Gem up to help her nurse her baby. “He might struggle a little to breathe and eat, so I want him here for a few days, just in case.”

“I don’t hear anymore fighting. They can come back in.” Gem watched her newborn nurse. She hoped he wouldn’t struggle too much. She was very protective.

Rusty nodded and went to open the door. He frowned when he realized that Tsunami’s pants were wet. “Did you pee your pants kiddo? I’m sorry. No wonder you wanted in.”

“It’s not pee.” Tsunami breathed hard and teared up. “Can I come back in? I’m sorry for fighting with Creek.” He cringed during the next contraction. He was upset. He missed his son’s birth, and was in pain. He was also very worried about Gem. He wanted to make sure she was OK. He swallowed hard and began pushing where he was standing.

“Oh my god!” Fairy hurried off Gem’s bed and grabbed a blanket. She hurried over to Tsunami and helped him out of his pants. She grabbed his daughter as she came out and gently gave her to her father. “Go to a bed now, Tsunami. Easy does it young one.” She felt bad for letting them kick the poor teenager out now. As soon as Tsunami was on the bed, she helped him clean his baby. She took the baby when she realized she wasn’t crying yet.

Tsunami’s daughter was dark purple, with red hair. She was as small as her half brother, and wasn’t breathing at all.

“What happened?” Gem had seen them hurry Tsunami in, but didn’t see the baby. She looked confused.

“He was in labor.” Rusty had a surprised look on his face as he walked back over. He hoped the baby would cry. The silence from Tsunami’s baby was scary.

“Son?” Sky got up and hurried over. He looked worried when he realized that the baby wasn’t crying. “Come on baby girl.” He flicked her foot and helped rub her down. He knew they didn’t have much longer.

Rhapsody also rushed over and widened his eyes. “Why didn’t you say something son?!”

“I didn’t know I would get kicked out.” Tsunami was crying. His baby was limp and listless. He was scared that she would die.

Fairy was flushed red and had a determined look on her face. She moved the premature baby to a warm cradle and turned her so she was facing down. She gave her a few pats on her bottom and back, before turning her over and suctioning out her mouth. When that wasn’t effective, she began giving the preemie cardiopulmonary resuscitation. “Come on baby.”

Gem had a worried look on her face. She looked at Rusty. “Please move me over to Tsunami.” She had tears in her eyes. She was scared for their second born.

Rusty nodded and picked Gem up. He carried her over to Tsunami and gently set her down. He looked sad. It appeared they had lost Tsunami’s baby.

Tsunami cried into his hands. He had a feeling they would be burying his daughter. He was terrified for his baby.

Fairy tried for a little while, but wasn’t able to get the baby to take more than a few tiny breaths, before she lost her heartbeat. She gently picked up the premature baby and gave her to her father. “I’m so sorry Tsunami. It happens sometimes with premature babies. They can’t breathe and lose the will to live. I tried.” She settled the newborn into a good position, and backed away to let the new father grieve. Even if he had been in the medical pod, the baby wouldn’t have lived, but she felt awful. He shouldn't have endured that stress while in labor.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry Tsunami.” Gem settled their son next to their daughter and snuggled into her mate. Her heart was crushed. She had had a bad feeling this would happen. She saw their son in her visions, but hadn’t seen their daughter. She wondered if they would lose one of the babies. It was heartbreaking.

“It’s all my fault. It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t fight with Creek.” Tsunami sobbed as he held his daughter and son closely. They were so small and so frail. He was devastated.

“I’m so sorry son.” Sky understood this heartbreak all too well. He gave his son a hug and ran his hand through his three toned hair. He was sad for him.

A few hours later, after a funeral was arranged, everyone gathered to say goodbye to Tsunami’s baby. Tsunami had named her Sapphire, after his aunt. Rainbow had already reassured him that she would get another chance when Gem was ready to have more children. He felt a tiny bit better knowing she would get another chance but it still hurt.

Gem had their baby tucked in her hair, and had a tight hold of her mate’s hand. She had decided to name him Jasper, to keep the stone theme. She promised Tsunami that they could take turns nursing their son, but she knew nothing was going to make him feel better right now. He not only had his chance to see his firstborn being born stolen from him, but he had lost his daughter too. She felt guilt ridden.

Creek was nearby. He felt bad too. It was no wonder Tsunami was crabby. He didn’t realize that he was hiding labor. He had hid it so well that he didn’t see it in his emotional aura. He was very worried he would never fix the tension he had between them now. He wanted to be a good father and grandfather.

Tsunami was sobbing loudly. He had his free hand on his belly. A feeling of emptiness consumed him. He wished his baby had made it. She was a viable age, but it wasn’t enough. He planned to cherish his son and protect him with his life. He never wanted to lose him either. He looked forward to the day Sapphire was in his arms again. Until then, he was going to be the best father he could be to little Jasper.


	24. Fatherly Instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another unfortunate tragedy breaks the hearts of many.

The following day, Creek was up early to check on Moonlight. She had complained of a headache the night before, and he had been checking her all night, while she slept. He was worried about her. Teenagers were more likely to experience complications during their pregnancy because they were still growing themselves. As he came around the corner, he noticed something was different about Moonlight. He gasped when he realized the poor girl was having a seizure. He made sure she didn’t fall off the bed and waited for it to end. “Delta Dawn!” He called his mate. He was very worried about his daughter. Moonlight looked just like Guy Diamond, and this was bringing on flashbacks of Guy Diamond’s final moments of life.

Moonlight soon calmed down, but was weak. She cracked her eyes open and whimpered. She wasn’t well at all. Her bed was wet with urine. She had been unable to control it. She gagged and began heaving up water that she drank earlier that morning.

Delta Dawn came in and frowned when she saw that Moonlight was getting sick and looked pale. “Let’s get her to the medical pod.” She helped Moonlight sit up and frowned as Moonlight swayed. “You better get Agate or Quartz to carry her. She won’t be able to walk.”

“I don’t want to wait that long.” Creek picked his daughter up awkwardly, because they were both round in the belly. He rushed out the door with her. As soon as he was in the medical pod, he sat her down. “She’s sick and had a seizure.”

Moonlight groaned and gritted her teeth. She went rigid, before she began having another seizure.

It was Mama Goldie who was in that morning. She had seen this before, and she knew she had to act fast. Without saying a word, she gave Moonlight a sedative, and prepared for surgery. Once she administered the sedative and grabbed what she needed, she looked at Creek. “She’s having this baby now, or they both might die.” She waited for the seizure to end, before picking Moonlight up and carrying her to the back.

Delta Dawn frowned when she heard that. After losing a premature baby the day before, it was scary that another would be born so soon. She bowed her head and began to pray for her young stepdaughter and grandchild.

Creek trembled as he waited by the back door. He looked over at Delta Dawn and sniffled. He walked over to her and began praying with her.

Gem and Tsunami were still in the medical pod with their son. Jasper still needed observation.

Gem had just gotten done feeding Jasper, and was watching Creek with wide, worried eyes. Moonlight was her half sister and she was very close to her. She hoped she was OK. She stayed quiet as she tended to her newborn son.

Tsunami snuggled into Gem and avoided eye contact. He wanted to protect Gem, but knew Creek was in there for a good reason. He also didn’t want to fight anymore. He just wanted his son and mate safe.

The weak cries of a newborn premature baby filled the medical pod. Mama Goldie came out and gently set the newborn girl in a cradle and set her up on oxygen. She wrapped her up so she was warm, and then hurried back to continue working on Moonlight. She was confident that the baby would be OK, so she had to try to help Moonlight. Besides, Creek was there and she knew he was an experienced father.

Creek left Delta Dawn and walked over to the cradle. He looked down at the newborn and smiled softly. “You look like your mama.” He was glad Guy Diamond’s genetics were coming through strong in their children. He wondered if she would have blue eyes too. He put a diaper on her, and rewrapped her. He wondered if he should ask Gem to feed her, but was afraid she was still mad at him. He decided to wait. Moonlight would be awake again soon and would be able to feed her.

Delta Dawn walked over and smiled at the newborn. “She’s so pretty.”

A half an hour later, Mama Goldie came back out with a sad look on her face. “I’m sorry Creek. She died on the table. It happens sometimes with young mothers. It’s part of the reason we don’t like teenagers getting pregnant.” She wiped a few tears away. Moonlight was one of her grandchildren, and she remembered delivering her and Brook what felt like not long ago.

Creek’s heart shattered. He pulled Mama Goldie into a hug and sobbed. “My baby…” He wasn’t sure how to tell his children and was worried about Brook. He understood how much losing a twin hurt.

“Oh Creek, I’m so sorry.” Delta Dawn joined the hug and wept. It wasn’t fair. Moonlight was so sweet. She didn’t deserve the short life that was handed to her.

Gem began to sob. She turned to Tsunami and hugged into him. She was devastated.

Tsunami frowned and held Gem. He teared up and sniffled. Moonlight was his friend and this scared him. This could have been any of them. He still had friends and family that were teenagers and pregnant. He hoped no one else died like this.

Mama Goldie held Creek and sniffled. “We have to figure out how to feed her daughter, until you or Delta Dawn give birth. Basil is nursing. Perhaps he can help.” She glanced over at Gem and Tsunami, but she knew that Gem wasn’t getting along with Creek right now. She didn’t think she would take the baby right now.

“I want to see Moon first.” Creek went to the back to say goodbye. He knew there was a lot to do, so he didn’t want to lose his chance to tell her he loved her, one more time.

Delta Dawn went to the back with Creek. She was very worried about him.

Moonlight’s newborn began to cry. She was ready for her first milk.

Tsunami’s paternal instincts kicked in. He got up and quickly moved over to the cradle. He gently picked up the baby and helped her latch on to feed. He quietly walked over to Gem and sat by her. He closed his eyes and began to cry quietly, as he imagined it was his own daughter feeding off him. 

Gem watched on and couldn’t help but cry harder. “She’s so pretty, like her mama.” She reached over and gently caressed her niece’s cheek.

Mama Goldie smiled softly and watched her grandchildren care for the orphan. She hoped Creek would allow this. Moonlight’s baby needed parents, and she thought perhaps this might help mend Tsunami’s broken heart.

Creek came back out and stopped when he realized the baby was no longer in the cradle. He looked around for a moment, before looking over at Tsunami. Tears ran down his cheeks as he walked over to the young father. He slowly moved in to give him a hug. “Would you like her? She needs a mama and papa…”

Tsunami shrank at first, when Creek came closer. He thought Creek would be mad. He gasped when the grieving father hugged him. He nodded when Creek asked him if he would like her. He started to cry and wrapped his free arm around Creek. “I would love to have her. You can see her whenever you want. I’m sorry you lost Moon. I’ll name her after her mama.”

Gem sniffled and nodded in agreement. “I would love if you came and saw her and Jasper. I love you, da…” She stopped herself when she realized she almost said dad. She sniffled and rubbed her face of tears. “Creek…”

“You can call me dad. I’m so sorry Gem.” Creek pulled her into a hug and held them both. He was incredibly sad, but they just gave him a precious gift. A home for his orphaned granddaughter. He was so grateful. He let them go and turned to Mama Goldie. “I have a funeral to arrange. I’ll be right back.” He left to go talk to Queen Rainbow. 

A few hours later, everyone gathered for another funeral. This time, it was a mother. They hoped Moonlight would be the last troll they buried for a while. The last six months had been hard enough for them. They needed to restore the happiness in their lives.


	25. A Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A full moon brings on the biggest baby boom the colony has ever seen.

A couple of weeks later, while in the middle of doing dishes, Delta Dawn stopped and let out a loud groan during a strong contraction. She had been having them all day, but this one really hurt. The first-time mother had gone to the medical pod several times the last few days, thinking it was time, but was sent home each time. She wasn’t sure exactly what to expect with her twins, other than it obviously would be painful. When her contraction eased, she walked over to the couch and looked at Creek. “I think I’m actually in labor this time.”

“Are you sure?” Creek sat up and put his hand on his own swollen belly. He had been resting the last hour because he was in labor himself. He had planned to have his twins at home, since he had had Ukulele without any complications. He wasn’t sure about Delta Dawn doing it on her own, though, since he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with their babies. They were going to be hybrids. He was warned they might not survive or have complications if something went wrong. He wanted them to have a safe delivery, if possible.

Delta Dawn groaned during the next contraction. She nodded slowly and closed her eyes. “The pain is stronger this time.”

“We better hurry you to the medical pod.” Creek got to his feet and sighed softly when fluids dribbled down his legs. “Our babies will all share today as a birthday.”

“That’s going to be neat.” Delta Dawn smiled at him and gave him a light kiss. She took his hand and led him towards the medical pod. She had confidence that their babies would be just fine. They were active and feisty in her belly. She could feel them fighting inside her for who would go first. When she got to the medical pod, she gasped and groaned with worry. The medical pod was full of new parents and was loud with the cries of newborn babies. “Must be a full moon.”

Creek also groaned and put his hand on his belly. “I think so…” He had a feeling he might be delivering their babies.

“I’ll be right with you Creek and Delta Dawn. Just give me a few minutes.” Mama Goldie was in the middle of cleaning Sunshine’s newborn. She had had a little boy that was yellow with red hair. She had named him Solar.

Branch had just had a baby girl and was cleaning her up himself. He motioned Creek over and smiled up at him. “Look at your daughter Creek. She’s so pretty.” He set her up in a diaper and wrapped her up. He began to feed her and looked around. He had a feeling that Mama Goldie and Fairy would appreciate help, but he was tired and sore from giving birth. He had actually come in to make sure Symphony delivered alright. He was very protective of her. He had ended up having his baby before she did. “I was thinking of naming her Spring.”

Spring was light teal with dark emerald green and royal blue two-toned hair. She looked up at her daddy as she nursed. She was healthy and strong.

“We came because we’re both in labor.” Delta Dawn watched the newborn and smiled softly. “She’s pretty Branch.” She leaned onto Branch’s bed and groaned in discomfort. She looked back when a gush of fluid splashed onto the ground. She knew it was coming, but it was an odd feeling. She whimpered and began to push.

Creek gasped when he saw that his wife was pushing. “That was fast!” He had a feeling she was in labor longer than he thought but had mistaken the pain for false labor. He noticed the first baby was coming out. He caught him as he emerged and sat him down by Branch. He was a centaur troll like his mama, but had Creek’s coloration. He smiled at their son as he cried loudly. “Look what you did Delta! Our beautiful boy!”

Branch got up and got ready to catch Delta Dawn’s second baby. He tucked Spring into his hair and caught Delta Dawn’s second son as he came out. He had Delta Dawn’s coloration and hair, but had the same body type as Creek. He cried as Branch cleaned him up.

“Goodness gracious me.” Delta Dawn breathed and looked at her newborns. She was surprised at how fast they came. “They’re so pretty Creek. Let’s name them Wind and Gust.”

“Sounds good, Delta.” Creek gently gave her son to her, and then reached down and rested his hand on his birthing site. He whimpered as he bore down and pushed. He caught a girl as she came out of him. He sat her down and began cleaning her. “Hello little girl. You didn’t want to wait.” He shot a glare at Branch. His daughter looked just like Branch. Once she was crying and clean, he tucked her into his hair and pushed for his second baby. He got him out and began cleaning him. He smiled when he began crying. He teared up when he realized that he looked exactly like Stream. “Look at you. You look like your uncle. Wait…” He looked in the direction that Rainbow and Pumpkin lived. Pumpkin had had his twins a few days earlier. One of them looked like Smidge and had been named after her. Her twin had come out looking like Pumpkin, but with red hair. He had named him Carrot. He looked down at his son and sniffled. “I think this is Stream’s reincarnation.”

“Knowing Rainbow, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Branch helped him with his newborns. He was glad he was in to help. Mama Goldie and Fairy were overwhelmed.

“Their names are Willow and Stream.” Creek couldn’t help but give his brother’s possible reincarnation the same name he had in his first life. He helped Delta Dawn with feeding her twins, and then set his own up to feed. He was used to feeding twins at the same time, since this was his third set of twins. Ukulele had been his only pregnancy that didn’t result in twins.

The day continued to be very busy. As the sun set on the day, the village was suddenly full of newborn trollings. Clampers had a baby girl with Oleander that was light blue with magenta and orange two toned hair with a tail that matched her hair. She otherwise was a troll like her dad. Clampers named her Autumn. Symphony had a boy that looked like her, but with glitter with Quartz. She named him Citrine. Faith had an albino daughter that she named Snow, who came from Ice. Ice had a baby boy that looked like him too. Basil had fathered him. He named him Flurry. Splash had a baby boy from Zinfandel, that was maroon with light blue and green two-toned hair that he named Merlot. Merlot was healthy, despite the scary start in his father’s pregnancy. Crash had a baby girl who was lavender with red and light blue two-toned hair, that he named Chorus. She was fathered by Chaz. Paprika had a baby boy with Crash that she named Opus, who was a rainbow trolling like his mama. Poppy had a baby girl that looked just like her but had Basil’s nose. She had named her Rosie. Zinfandel had a baby girl with Splash, that was lavender with pink hair, that he named Carnation. Pearl had had a baby boy that was salmon pink with red and green two-toned hair, that she named Shark. He was Splash’s son. They were not alone. Several other villagers also had babies. In total, the village had bloomed by another fifty-two trolls. They were going to have a busy winter ahead of them, but the babies had all been worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...baby Shark. ;3 <3 Sorry not sorry. *Evil laugh*


	26. Getting Back To Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The village has a party in the new bunker, to celebrate Ashlynn’s first birthday.

About six months later, everyone gathered at Branch’s new bunker, to celebrate Pumpkin’s twenty second birthday, and Ashlynn’s first birthday. The colony had come a long way the last year since the volcano claimed the home that they had known and loved for so many years. Despite the scary way that Ashlynn was born, she was thriving and feisty. As soon as Rainbow set her down, she toddled away on her own two feet. She had learned how to walk at ten months old, and was already walking steadily on her own. She stopped by the couch that Splash was sitting on, and began babbling at him. She loved her uncles very much, and seemed to remember the unfortunate events that led to Splash losing his right leg. She often clung to him whenever she could.

“Hello sweetheart.” Splash picked her up and settled her beside him. He was just finishing up feeding Merlot some milk. He settled his son over his shoulder and burped him. He then settled him down on the ground. He watched him get on his hands and knees and attempt to crawl. When that didn’t work, he settled down and began rolling away. “Oh my…” He went to get up, but saw that Pearl was following him. He sighed and smiled. Merlot was going to be a handful by the looks of it, but he was worth it in Splash’s eyes. He set Ashlynn back down. “Go help auntie Pearl with cousin Merlot.” He watched her follow Pearl and chuckled. “Good girl!”

Paprika saw that Splash was alone, so she sat down by him and took his hand. She winked at him and snuggled right up to him.

Splash looked confused at first, but quickly realized what she was doing. He pulled her closer and snuggled with her. “He’s going to be pissed…” He whispered.

“I know. He deserves it.” Paprika smirked up at Splash and gave him a playful grin.

Crash came out of the bathroom and growled when he saw that Paprika was snuggling with Splash. He came stomping towards them and sneered. “What are you two doing?! She’s not yours Splash!”

Splash smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s cold out today. I was enjoying the warmth.”

“Oh! I didn’t notice the difference.” Paprika giggled and got up off the couch. She stuck out her tongue and laughed when Crash spanked her. “Oh! Do it again!”

Crash spanked his mate again, and then pulled Splash off the couch and began to wrestle with him. “You two are going to pay!” He growled playfully as he tried to pin his brother down. “You should know the difference now. He is missing a leg!” He glared up at Splash when he pinned him down instead.

“I might be missing a leg, but I can still pin you down.” Splash smiled down at his brother.

“Alright you three. Settle down. There are babies crawling and scooting around.” Tsunami tried to pry them apart but ended up being pulled into the wrestling match. He laughed and tried hard to gain control. “Hey! No fair! Three against one! Hickory! Help me!”

“You’re on your own, kid.” Hickory chuckled as he played with Oceana and Shark. He had no kids of his own, but he definitely had his chances to babysit. He was glad they all trusted him with the babies.

Creek was watching from nearby. He had Moonlight Junior in his arms. He was watching her, while Tsunami and Gem took a break. He couldn’t believe how many little ones there were all together. It was daunting to think that several of these babies came from teenagers that were not quite ready to grow up. He thought they were doing well though, considering the circumstances.

“Holy trollings, look at all these kids.” Branch came in with a bag full of blackberries and huckleberries. He had frozen them and saved them for special occasions. He was going to prepare a cake with huckleberry frosting and blackberry jam as it’s filling.

“Yeah, and my twins are yours. You have to help me raise them.” Creek glared at Branch. He was still not very amused at what he had done nearly a year earlier.

Stream was sitting next to Willow when he heard his father. He glared at him and began crawling over. He screamed up at Creek and began having a fit. He was not happy that he was giving Branch a hard time again.

“You’re being told off.” Branch laughed and headed for the kitchen, before he got himself into more trouble. He was amused that their son was yelling at him, at six months old.

Creek sighed and shook his head. He picked Stream up and smiled at him. “Are you mad again? You’re not as intimidating when you’re this little.” He chuckled when Stream scowled at him. “Cranky boy.”

Stream was still too little to do as much as he wanted, but he definitely remembered his past life. He had a look of concentration on his face, as he tried to think of how to get Creek back for telling him he wasn’t intimidating anymore. He smirked and grunted as he began filling his diaper. He giggled when Creek gave him a look.

“You little stink.” Creek chuckled and carried him over to his baby bag. “You did that on purpose.” He settled Stream down on the ground and began changing his diaper.

Stream waited for him to open his diaper, and then began to pee. He squealed in delight and gave him an innocent look when Creek glared at him. He was taking full advantage of the fact he was little and could mess with Creek. He was glad he got a chance at another life.

“He’s feisty this afternoon.” Delta Dawn sat beside Creek and went to work on changing Gust’s diaper. She was amused that Stream had gotten his daddy good.

Stream tried to roll away now that he was empty. He wanted to be diaper free. He hated how it felt.

“I suppose I wouldn’t have him any other way.” Creek managed to get a diaper on his son, before he tried to crawl away. He looked around and sighed with contentment. It had been a hard year for him, and everyone else, but it was nice to see so many smiling faces. It appeared that the village was back to normal. He hoped that the peace would last. They had all been through enough to last a lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s the end of part 5. There is a planned part 6 that is coming soon. I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
